Love Ronin Solid
by Andrew Joshua Talon
Summary: Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy. AU, multicross. Rated M just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

_"You know this'll be dangerous, right?"_

"I know…"

"Very dangerous… Your gift will be putting you into harm's way, every time."

"I know…"

"And you signed up because of a mistake? So again, why are you here?"

"… I made a promise, once upon a time, to get into Tokyo University… I also made a promise to always do the right thing. And this will let me keep both."

"Or kill you. You'll be facing terrorists, demons, monsters, magical girls gone bad, the worst of technology and magic's unholy union, and you still wanna do this job?"

"That all? I might as well call it a vacation…"

* * *

  
_**LOVE RONIN SOLID**_

_Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy_

By Andrew J. Talon

* * *

Keitaro rose from the foliage, the engines of the plane a distant memory. He set about packing his parachute into his pack, and sealed it up quickly. The flight mask went next, tucked into his pack. He looked about the winter forest, eyes narrowed. Nothing he could hear or sense but animals.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

His earpiece beeped twice.

He kneeled down and tapped it.

_"You made the drop safely?"_ Asked Haitani on the other end.

"Yeah..."

_"Okay! Here's the best part,"_ Shirai said, and Keitaro could hear the grin in his voice. _"Codenames! For the duration of this mission, you are Ronin. You are not to use your real name, or our reals names either."_

"Ronin huh? That your idea?" Keitaro asked dryly.

_"It can be taken in either sense of the word,"_ Haitani replied. _"Ah, right, the Colonel's on now. Switching channels._"

A few moments later, and the voice of his commanding officer came on.

_"Ronin?_"

"Colonel, this is Ronin," Keitaro replied.

_"Ronin, this is the Colonel. Just refer to me by my rank and nothing else."_

"Got it."

_"Keep in mind, this mission is covert and solo. You will have no reinforcements. If you are caught, any knowledge of your activities or existence will be disavowed by the United Nations and both the US and Japanese governments. You will not be rescued."_

Keitaro gulped, but steeled his resolve.

"Then I won't get caught."

_"Good to hear Ronin. Now, here's the rest of your support team. Shotakon and Lennon will be your technical advisors. Ask them any questions on your gear or the technology and equipment of the enemy."_

The channel switched, and Keitaro heard Shirai on it.

_"Shotakon?! Colonel, come on, really?"_

Keitaro chuckled. "It fits you though, Shirai."

_"And Lennon? Just because of the flower?"_ Haitani complained.

"Among other things," Keitaro said. Shirai huffed.

_"Yeah yeah, laugh it up... All right Ronin. Anything you want to know about computers, weapons, or vehicles, you ask us."_

"All right..."

_"Midas will be your cultural and nature expert. He knows everything that's worth anything around, including what you can catch for your own food,"_ the colonel cut in.

_"Right Ronin, just ask me and I'll tell you what you need to know. Wouldn't want you choking to death on a mushroom you ate out of stupidity,"_ Kentaro's smirking voice came over the radio. Keitaro rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for the concern..."

_"Finally, we have Athena. She will be your advisor on any magitech, demons, or other supernatural things you might encounter,"_ the Colonel said.

_"Hello Ronin. How are you?"_

Keitaro smiled. That was Tsuruko-She'd helped him train and had always had time for him at the base. Even if she'd knocked him around, she'd always done it with the intention of making him stronger.

"Just fine Athena," he said. He looked around. "All right... What are we calling this mission?"

_"Just call this Maidenhead Mission,"_ the Colonel said. _"It's the first time for all of us in a way."_

Keitaro sweatdropped. "Maidenhead?"

_"My, aren't we being daring, Colonel,"_ Tsuruko said with a smile in her voice. _"It's fortunate this is a secret mission-Think of the scandal."_

_"It fits."_

_"It has to!"_ Shotakon snickered.

Keitaro sighed, and pulled out his gun. He checked it, nodded, and checked his knife.

"Right... Commencing..." He sighed. "Maidenhead Mission..."

_"Take it slow, Ronin. Don't rush into anything!"_ Lennon laughed. Keitaro glowered and set out into the forest.

Perverts, all of them...

Naru sighed as she sat at her table. She couldn't focus on studying, not now.

"Stupid idiot," she mumbled, looking over at the empty spot across the table.

Why, why, _why_ did he have to do this? Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ stubborn idiot! He made a promise to her-_to her_!

To go to Toudai with her... So what if she didn't make it with him when they were kids, she wanted him to be hers. But now... Now he was somewhere he couldn't tell her. Not that she'd accepted any of his emails... Read any of his letters.

She wouldn't... If he was dead, then she'd...

She sighed, and shoved her textbooks away. She couldn't focus. She couldn't go talk to Kitsune either.

_"You're so stubborn! He's out there, maybe getting himself killed, and what are you doing? Not writing back! You always do this Naru, you cut yourself off when you're angry and hurt... Why can't you just admit it?"_

She rubbed her eyes, and looked out her window. She sighed heavily.

_Stupid... Stupid Keitaro..._

She wouldn't say it... Not until he was back, at least... And only after beating him up for worrying her so much...

_You'd better not die..._

* * *

Keitaro moved silently through the underbrush, his special boots making nearly no sound as he passed over the snow. A little ki technique let him keep from breaking it, increasing his speed.

This all took a lot of concentration, on top of paying attention to his surroundings. Training had been hell-Every time he had made a sound, he was hit by _Hikan Zankusen_ from Tsuruko or gunfire from the Colonel.

Though fortunately for him, the training included ways to get better at sneaking around.

He came to a clearing, and he stayed in the shadows of the trees. His eyes narrowed as he heard a truck backfire nearby, and he headed in the direction of the sound.

He crossed through the trees, and kneeled down behind a tree as he spotted a road. A few trucks passed by, wearing the insignia of the Russian Army.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

Keitaro tapped his earpiece.

_"Ronin, the road you're at should lead into the base. Satellite imagery suggests it's getting frequent shipments from the local railroad, and the electronic records show that a lot of trains have been delayed along the line,"_ Shotakon stated.

_"But, every shipment that arrives is supposed to be full,"_ Midas cut in. _"But I did some checking of my own-Turns out the towns up ahead have been having a lot more visits to their local doctors. It's pitifully easy to see that the supplies are being dropped off here."_

"Okay, so we know that... What does it mean?" Keitaro asked.

_"It's simple Ronin. A Russian General by the name of Vitaly Ivanovich Gamov was placed in command of this base in 2001. Shortly thereafter, the base was decommissioned and a year later, Gamov was murdered by poachers in his own home,"_ Kentaro said.

"But he wasn't," Keitaro guessed.

_"Correct. You see, what wasn't known until recently was that Gamov had connections to Japan-In particular, to companies that produced the first examples of magitech for the military. Through these connections, he was able to obtain enough examples for the Russians to begin reverse engineering the technology,"_ the Colonel supplied.

"So, Gamov's been working with magitech since before the mass releases onto the Net? I'm guessing this base is where he's continued to do research," Keitaro further surmised.

_"Huh, the one time you don't live up to your name, Ronin,_" Midas said. Keitaro rolled his eyes. The Colonel took over.

_"The important thing here is that Gamov's work has stopped being released into the Russian military. It has, however, been popping up in the hands of terrorists, rogue countries and mercenary armies. He's been using the black market to further his own ambitions. But that's ended too,"_ the Colonel said.

"So what does that mean?" Keitaro asked.

_"It suggests that he's found something better than just living the life of a dead man and selling weapons on the black market,"_ Athena said. _"Something big. The magical energies from this area are deadly, and strong enough to block even my abilities."_

"So, I'm going in to look?" Keitaro asked.

_"And stop what's going on."_ The Colonel said. _"The Russian government is either unaware or unwilling to stop it."_

"So I'm stopping it for them," Keitaro said. He nodded. "How soon until more trucks show up?"

_"Only a few minutes, they run regularly. That's why you were dropped at this time and place. You can hitch a ride under a truck and go on in. But be careful-They'll probably search the truck when you get to the base."_ The Colonel added.

"Gotcha. I'm on it," Keitaro said.

_"By the way Ronin, why is your voice so gravelly? You sound like you gargled sand,"_ Lennon said. Keitaro snorted.

"Don't know... Just do... Ronin out."

He snuck forward, staying low on the ground, distributing his weight through the snow. He crawled ahead, and laid down along the road. A few minutes later, the truck came up. Keitaro stayed as still as possible-Unless the driver was looking intently, his white camo outfit would hide him.

_Okay... Wait... Wait... Wait..._ He rolled the instant he heard the tires crunching the snow and he latched on. He was dragged along the road, and grunted as he clambered for purchase. He pulled himself up close against the axel of the truck, and grit his teeth as his head hit what seemed like every bump and rock in the road.

_It seems so much easier in the movies, doesn't it?_ He thought sarcastically, as the truck continued to drive.

* * *

The truck reached the perimeter, and stopped. Keitaro closed his eyes, extending his ki senses. Everything appeared as a "shape" in his head, with varying degrees of temperature, density, and what could only be described as "texture".

_Okay... driver and guard in the truck... And four guards at the checkpoint... All heavily armed._

Keitaro quickly crawled to the back of the truck. Silently, he flipped up onto the back of the truck, and jumped up into the truck itself. He quickly stripped out of his camo, stuffing it into his bag. He looked around at all the boxes, before shaking his head-He'd never conceal himself in one of those.

He instead jumped up and clung to the roof of the truck, the dark colored uniform he'd worn underneath concealing him perfectly. For added protection, he pulled on a hood and cowl, further obscuring his form. The guards checked inside, looking around the boxes of food and other supplies. One of them nodded, and yelled out to the driver.

"Go ahead!" He shouted, in Russian of course. The driver assented, and the truck drove through the gate.

_This is much better than hanging on the underside of the truck,_ Keitaro thought. _Why didn't I do this first?_

Outside the truck he was able to see that they were still passing through forest. Obviously, a secret base wouldn't give up such prime cover. Eventually, they came to another checkpoint. Once again, guards checked over the truck. One actually hopped into it, and poked all the boxes with a stick. His buddies scanned the interior with thermal imaging goggles.

This part was a little nerve wracking to Keitaro, but he was confident that the stealth suit he wore kept him from being detected. All the same, he remained perfectly still, not moving so much as an inch.

"Hmmm... Hey, look! Mangos!" One guard said.

"Excellent... Snag a few," another said. The guard helped himself, gathering them up and a few other items. "About time we got some more..."

"Ha. Looks like they didn't take anything this time," the other said. The first guard hopped out. "Okay! Go!"

The truck trundled off, and Keitaro mentally sighed. _How many checkpoints are there?_

Another one went by. Another couple of guards made off with some of the goods. Another long drive, and Keitaro used his ki senses again.

_Okay... Big wall... Hopefully this is the main facility..._

Once again, the guards checked the truck, and once again, they took some things.

"Oh yes! Toilet paper!" Cheered one guard. "Finally! The good American stuff!"

"I'm using it first," the head guard ordered.

"But-But sir You used it first last time!"

"Don't complain!"

The truck moved in, and Keitaro lowered himself just enough to see out the back. Yep, they were now within a large fortress-The walls were very thick and very strong, and lined with automated turret guns as well as soldiers keeping watch.

_That'll be fun to get out of,_ Keitaro thought. The truck came to a stop, and Keitaro dropped down, silent as a cat. He slipped down out of the truck, but at the sound of footsteps he scrambled back underneath it. His ki senses gave him a picture of six workers, a couple of guards...

Keitaro frowned. _Strange... That's a strong ki signature._

The workers unpacked the supplies from the truck, and Keitaro, thinking quickly, reached out and quickly shoved the foot of one of them.

"AH!" He tripped.

"What is it?" One of the guards called. Keitaro slipped away in the guard's manipulated focus, crawling out from beneath the truck, onto a loading dock, and getting behind one of the large crates sitting in it.

"Just tripped... Lost my footing," he called.

"Excuse me."

Every eye turned towards the source of the voice. Keitaro peeked out himself, and blinked.

_Eh? A high school girl?_

She was young, maybe Naru's age if not a little younger. She Japanese, and tall too, and beautiful, with long black hair and a soulful face. She was dressed in a long black coat, underneath which Keitaro caught glimpses of a tight black outfit.

Probably the weirdest thing though was that she was wearing cute little cat ears. Wait, scratch that-Weirdest thing was the brown striped cat that rested on her shoulder.

"Did it come?" The girl asked. As one, the guards and workers seemed to rush the truck, barreling into it and searching frantically.

"Here!"

"No, I've got it!"

"Give it here! Mine!"

"HA! GOT IT!"

"YOU BASTARD!"

A furious brawl ensued, as the various men fought over the right to hand the girl whatever they'd tried to obtain. The girl cleared her throat, looking embarassed.

"Ah... Excuse me...? You-You don't have to..."

"RARGH! I'M GIVING IT TO HER!" Shouted one man. He was the biggest of them, and the tallest. He shoved the other guards away, and kicked one of the supply men away. He was about to punch another, when his fist was stopped.

Keitaro's eyes widened, as did the guard's. The girl was standing there, holding the guard's wrist without any apparent effort whatsoever. Keitaro, thinking quickly, hit one of the gizmos attached to his headband. He thought it was a camera-Haitani and Shirai hadn't gone through everything he'd been given thoroughly yet.

"Do not fight," she said. Her cat nyahed. The other guards and the workers immediately looked remorseful.

"W-We are sorry, Miss Cat!" They cried.

"So am I!" The guard said. "Ah... H-Here you go!" He said, handing her a box. Miss Cat took it and nodded, smiling softly.

"Thank you..." She turned and walked slowly out of the docking bay, bangs concealing her eyes. Keitaro blinked and shook his head.

"Wow, Miss Cat sure is amazing," one of the workers enthused. "I'd heard she was fast but... Wow!"

"And strong too," the tallest guard grimaced, rubbing his wrist.

"Hey, take it like a man!" One of the workers shouted.

"Grrr...! Get back to work!" He ordered.

The unloading resumed, and Keitaro frowned.

"Colonel, this is Ronin," he said. "I'm in the facility. Already looks like we've got magic girls involved. Saw one known as Miss Cat."

_"Did you get a picture?"_ Asked the Colonel.

"Yeah... I'm uploading it now, I think," Keitaro murmured. He tapped the control he thought handled that, and Shotakon and Lennon on the other end whooped.

_"Woah! What a babe!"_ Shotakon enthused.

_"Damn, she's hot!"_ Lennon added.

"Kindly find out who she is?" Keitaro growled.

_"All right, all right... Look, find a computer terminal will you?"_

"Okay, how do I do that? The room is crawling with guards," Keitaro said.

_"Just press yourself against a surface, or otherwise touch it, and think 'hide',"_ Shotakon said. _"The camo of your suit will do the rest."_

Keitaro did so, and the suit shifted. He looked at himself-He was blending in almost perfectly with the floor!

"Wow... That's impressive," Keitaro murmured.

_"Just remember, it's not true invisibility,"_ Athena interjected. _"You must move slowly and stay pressed against the floor or surface you're moving across. But if they're right on top of you, someone will see you."_

"Guess you guys couldn't spring for an invisibility cloak, huh?" Keitaro asked.

_"The problem with those is that they're too easily detected,"_ Athena said. _"They offer stealth from eyes but not from magic, or ki senses. This suit, however, does offer a signficiant amount of protection against both."_

_"Besides, you're enough of a loser already without looking like Harry Potter,"_ Midas added.

Keitaro again rolled his eyes, and reached out to touch the wall. His camo changed accordingly, and he slowly stood up, pressing himself against the wall. Slowly and carefully, he moved along it, until he reached the door. He ducked down down a barrel and shifted his camo accordingly as it opened, and waited for two guards to exit. He touched the wall and slipped inside the hallway. Quickly, he climbed up onto the ceiling, again his camo shifting.

_"Good thing I had you master the wall walking technique, isn't it Ronin?"_ Tsuruko teased.

"You wouldn't let me off the ceiling for a month," Keitaro reminded her flatly, as he climbed down the ceiling ala Spider-Man.

_"All to ensure you got it, Ronin,"_ Athena smiled through the commlink.

Keitaro managed not to grumble as he headed in deeper.

* * *

**((BREEP BREEP))**

Midas: Hey, Ronin, have you watched the Predator movies?

Ronin: What? You mean those about those hunters from outer space who hunt other species for sport as long as they are a challenge?

Midas: Precisely. In case you haven't forgotten you're equipped with an optical stealth like camoflague, even if it isn't as advanced as those in the movies.

Ronin: And your point?

Midas: Please don't go waltzing around taking people's skulls as trophies or hang their flayed corpses upside-down, will'ya. I think even Athena would get sick if you do that.

Ronin: You've got a twisted imagination, you know that?!

Midas: I do my best. Over and out.

"Jerk!" Keitaro muttered and continued with his mission.

* * *

**((BREEP BREEP))**

Athena: All right Ronin, we have a match for this Miss Cat.

Ronin: Yeah?

Athena: Her name is Sakaki Yu, she's a recent graduate of Azuma high school. However, instead of going on to college, she took an opportunity to join an overseas study program sponsored by her teacher.

Ronin: Study? At a secret Russian military base? Not exactly the kind of thing you try first year of college.

Athena: Apparently her teacher mistook the request for an overseas study opportunity. From what Midas has been able to determine, she's known as Silent Cat. She's very strong, and very fast and very skilled in hand to hand combat.

Ronin: I could tell. I couldn't even see her move!

Athena: However, she seems to be very quiet and non-confrontational. I'd almost say she's shy.

Ronin: Shy huh?

Athena: Don't underestimate her though, Ronin.

Ronin: Trust me, I know enough by now not to take women lightly.

Athena: What's that supposed to mean, mm?

Ronin: *quickly* I've found that the more beautiful the woman, usually the more dangerous she is.

Athena: Aren't you the charmer? And me a married woman, too.

Ronin: Er, I didn't mean it like that...

Athena: I know. I just like teasing you. You are very cute. I can see why my sister likes you.

Ronin: Wait, what?

Athena: Better continue the mission, Ronin. You've got a lot of work ahead of you.

Ronin: Right...

* * *

Keitaro crept along the ceiling for a bit, before he managed to locate an office. The dock supervisor's, if the sign on the door was telling the truth. Keitaro was tempted to wait until the supervisor came out, but one look told him he was busy typing.

_Always the direct approach,_ he thought, as he jumped down and landed on the floor. His landing had made some noise, and he heard a guard walking towards him from around the corner. Keitaro quickly moved to press up against the wall, and engaged his camo again, blending in with it.

The guard walked by him, looking around. With lightning speed, Keitaro grabbed the guard in the sleeper hold.

"Hhh!" The guard tried, but Keitaro held tight. The guard's struggles slowed, and he finally slumped, unconscious. Keitaro suppressed a grunt, and walked the guard over to the door. He knocked on it twice, and the supervisor rose from his chair.

"Hm? What is-ACK!" Keitaro shoved the unconscious guard into the supervisor, sending them slamming into the office. Keitaro quickly shut the door behind him, and knocked the supervisor out by slamming his head against the floor.

"Well... That was relatively simple," Keitaro said. He glanced out the window the super's office had on the docks-Nobody had noticed. Good.

He went over to the supervisor's computer, and tapped his earpiece.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Shotakon, I'm in the supervisor's office. What do I do?"

_"Just pull out the flashdrive in the pouch on your right shoulder. Then, insert it into the computer."_

Keitaro did so, and slipped it into the computer harddrive. After a few moments, Shotakon called back.

_"Ronin, I'm not getting anything off it._"

"You aren't? Why not?" Keitaro asked.

_"Well, what do you see on the screen?"_ Lennon asked.

Keitaro blinked. The screen was black. "It's black."

There was a pause.

_"... Ronin, you did turn on the computer, right?"_

Keitaro grimaced, and turned the computer back on.

_"All right, that's better..."_ Shotakon began. _"Ha, looks like they keep everything on a single network which they themselves monitor. It's all right for a closed off system, but when we've got access... There we go! Ronin, lower your headband over your eyes._

_Keitaro did so. "You never told me what this thing is, exactly..."_

_"I thought we did?"_ Lennon said.

_"We briefed you didn't we?"_

"Not really, just on my basic stuff," Keitaro replied.

_"Well, this is the Highly Advanced Integrated Tactical Interface And Technical Enhancement tool,"_ Lennon recited.

"H... A... I... T... I... A... T... E... T?" Keitaro sounded out.

_"Prounounced Hai Tie Ah Tey,"_ Shotakon added. _"The T is silent."_

Keitaro blinked. He took the device off, and examined it. It did look just like a...

"Forehead protector?" He asked flatly.

_"Well, you are going in like a ninja, and it does look like it, doesn't it?"_ Lennon said.

"The 'ninja' who wear those things barely qualify as ninja," Keitaro said.

_"Ha, you just can't appreciate a good manga and-!"_

_"The name is rather clumsy though,"_ Athena interjected. Keitaro sighed.

"Okay, so... What does it do? Aside from take pictures?" He tied it back on and then pulled it down over his eyes. Keitaro was a bit surprised to be greeted by the sight of the room in nightvision, with what appeared to be a map in the upper right hand corner. Shotakon's face appeared in a window in the left.

_"It lets you see in night vision and infrared, has telescoping view, and displays tactical information such as a map of the facility. We can also tap you into the cameras so you can see when anyone's coming."_

"Good... But what if I need to see something in regular vision?" Keitaro asked. "I mean, I'd have to keep pulling it up and sliding it down..."

_"It does have a regular vision option too... Just think it and it'll return to normal,"_ Shotakon said.

_"Or you can just wear it over one eye,"_ Lennon added.

"That'll just disorient me," Keitaro replied.

_"But you'll look so cool!"_ Shotakon enthused.

"Let me get this straight-You're willing to make my mission more likely to fail so long as I look 'cool'?" Keitaro asked.

Silence. An embarassed cough. Keitaro nodded with a smile and examined the map.

"All right... Looks like I'm in the logistics building for the facility," Keitaro said. The map shifted, indicating a larger building north of the logistics hub separated by a frozen lake and some trees.

_"Looks like there are three ways to it from where you are,"_ Shotakon said. _"Via this road, through a tunnel underneath the road, or over the lake and through the woods."_

_"The lake has the least probability of being spotted, Ronin-Lots of open empty space and you excel at moving through wilderness,"_ Athena said. _"However, going by road or tunnel would be faster, and would be less of a strain on your stamina."_

_"Guess you'll have to get out there and see for yourself which is best, Ronin," _the Colonel said._ "Try getting to the roof-There are a few ladders heading up there."_

"Got it," Keitaro replied, retrieving the flashdrive and turning off the computer. He heard voices, and climbed up onto the roof as they approached. He blended in with the ceiling as the supervisor and the guard groaned, coming to.

"Oh my head..."

"Wha...?"

They stared at eachother, and the moment could not have been any more perfect as another guard opened the door.

"Dolohov, what are you...? YOU TWO!" He cried.

"It-It's not what you think!" The supervisor cried. "He-He attacked me!"

"No I didn't! I-I don't know what happened!" The guard shouted.

Keitaro slipped out the room as the three men continued to argue, and made his way towards a door into the main warehouse facility. He opened the door, camo shifting to match that of the floor as he crawled inside.

Nobody noticed the door opening, and it shut silently behind him. Keitaro crawled through the stacks of boxes and crates, adjusting his camouflage as he passed from light into shadow. Finally, he reached one of the ladders, and he blended in with the wall before he began to slowly climb up.

So long as nobody stood directly underneath him, he shouldn't be spotted. He got onto a catwalk, and laid down and blended with it just as a guard came within sight.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Colonel, this is Ronin. What weapons do I have for this mission?" Keitaro asked.

_"We gave you a tranq gun with a silencer and a knife,"_ the Colonel replied. Keitaro nodded, and froze as the guard began to approach him.

"Where's the gun?" He sub-vocalized.

_"Large pocket of your pack, of course,"_ the Colonel said. Keitaro reached back, slowly, and just as slowly pulled out the gun. The guard blinked.

"Eh?" As though a question mark was over his head, he walked towards Keitaro. "What's that?"

_Okay, just put him down fast... Go to sleep!_ Keitaro thought, as he brought the gun to bear and fired. The guard fell back in shock.

"Wh-What... What... WhaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" He fell off the catwalk and plummeted down to the warehouse floor. Keitaro gaped in horror behind his mask, and almost hesitated to look down.

_THUD!_

"Ah! The toilet paper!"

"You asshole, you nearly destroyed it!"

"M-Medic... Doctor... Please..."

Keitaro sighed silently in relief, before he resumed his journey, heading for the external access door. Once he got to it, he opened the door and slipped outside, seamlessly switching his camo to match the snow on the roof. He crawled across it, getting up to the edge before engaging his nightvision to scout out the three routes.

The tunnel he could access by going back into the warehouse and down through some ramps. The road and over the lake, just down from the roof.

_Hmm... So... Which one is it going to be?_ He thought.

* * *

**LAKE**

Keitaro climbed over the side of the roof and, adapting his camo accordingly, wall-crawled down the face of the building. He froze when he spotted a guard below him, and waited.

He was taking a cigarette break. Great. Oh, and now his buddy was joining him.

"Hey Pavlov..."

"Hey, Div! Great to see you! All's quiet, right?"

"Definitely..."

_Screw this,_ Keitaro decided. He crawled down, just above them, before he reached down.

"So, see anything weird?"

"No, nothing... Gotta say, I'll be gald when I'm shipped out. Think that one guy, Firin, is looking at me weird."

"Well, when all the pussy on base is off-limits, you've gotta-"

_THUNK!_ Keitaro let the two men drop to the ground, knocked out cold. He flipped down onto the ground himself, and switched his camo again.

"Remember, smoking's bad for you," he said. He rummaged a bit, and produced some flashbangs. "These will come in handy... Hmmm..." He took one of their rifles and examined it. He tapped his earpiece.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Shotakon, this is Ronin. I found a weapon. What is it?"

_"Oh, that's a PP-2000. It's a Russian submachine gun, kind of their answer to the P90. Might be useful, especially with that silencer."_

Keitaro frowned. He didn't really want to kill anyone, but... Well, better to be safe than sorry. "All right..." He snagged two spare clips, slid them into his pouches, and added the PP-2000 to his backpack. "I'm taking the lake route."

_"Mind your surroundings at all times, Ronin. Miss Cat's senses are supposed to be very good, to say nothing of the other magic girls employed by this base,"_ Athena advised.

"Other magic girls?" Ronin asked.

_"Midas is looking through the records-It seems this same teacher's been putting a lot of her former students into this program. We're trying to find her but she's unusually difficult to locate,"_ Athena said. _"Just be careful."_

Ronin nodded. "Roger." He set out over the snow, avoiding a spotlight cast from a tower on the wall ahead. Blending in with it, he climbed over it, and checked with his... HAITI-ATE for guards. Two were on top of the wall, walking and keeping an eye on things. Keitaro waited for them to pass, before he vaulted over the wall and jumped over the battlement.

"Huh?" One of the guards called.

"What?"

"Did you hear something?" The first guard asked. Keitaro crawled down, slowly, blended with the wall.

"What?"

The first guard sighed in disgust. "Take those earbuds out right now!"

"Sorry sir... No, I didn't hear anything..."

"You keep this up and I'll take that damn iPod away," he threatened.

"Oh come on sir!"

Leaving the two guards to argue, Keitaro blended with the snow, and set out across it. He zig-zagged, not following a regular course, all across the snow to minimize the chance of anyone watching to think his movements were those of a person.

Finally, he hit the treeline, and adjusted his camo to be darker as he headed into the shadows.

_Okay... The lake is frozen, good... I'll just see where it's thickest and scoot across,_ Ronin thought. He engaged the HAITI-ATE, and caught sight of something... A bit unusual some distance from the lake. A strong heat source.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"Yes Ronin?"_ Midas asked snootily.

"Midas, are there any hot springs around here?" Keitaro asked.

_"Of course not, why?"_

"Because I think I'm looking at one right now... Stand by," Keitaro replied. He got down and crawled, rather quickly, over the snow towards the heat source. He crawled underneath some bushes, and adjusted the HAITI-ATE to night vision.

_No way..._ It was a hot spring... Surrounded by rocks, with hot, steaming water...

"Haaa!" A girl emerged from the water, and threw her head back with a laugh.

Keitaro's face went bright red. _Oh boy... It figures..._

She was Japanese, and like Sakaki, she was stacked and tall. Unlike Sakaki, she had short, spiky hair, tanned skin, and... Wolf ears?

"This is so great!" She enthused. She sniffed the air, and smirked.

"Mmmm... Do I have a peeper?" She asked.

"Yes, you do."

"GAH!" Keitaro shouted, as he was kicked out from under the bushes and sent into the hot spring. "CRAP!"

Keitaro managed to keep his cool under the water, and shot up to the surface, gasping for breath. Just in time for the hot girl with wolf ears to get behind him and put him in an arm and head lock. "URK!"

"Awww... Now really Cat, did you have to mess with my prey?" The girl pouted as she tightened her grip. Normally Keitaro would enjoy feeling a girl's breasts pressed against his back, but definitely not while getting choked. He wasn't into that kind of play.

Sakaki emerged from the shadows of the forest, eyes slightly narrowed.

"No Wolf..."

"You're all so determined to keep me from getting laid," Wolf pouted.

"Gurk!" Keitaro struggled, but Wolf kept the pressure on.

"Get his mask," Wolf said. Cat complied, and Keitaro grimaced even more as his face was exposed. Wolf looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"Awww... He's cute! Can't you let me have him, please?"

"We should report him to the General," Cat replied. Keitaro's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward. Cat sighed.

"You made him pass out."

"Well you wouldn't let me just seduce him!" Wolf growled, letting her arm up off of Keitaro's neck. She turned him around and smirked, caressing his face. "You can go get the troops... I'll take care of-"

Keitaro's head fell back, and snapped forward. His HAITI-ATE had stayed on even without his mask, and he slammed his protected foreheard into Wolf's.

"AGH!" She cried.

"Thanks for the invitation, I'm really flattered, but I need to go!" Keitaro said, shoving Kagura away and jumping up onto the nearest rock. He turned his head and saw Cat leaping forward, jump-kicking, and barely managed to jump out of the way.

"Oooh... Oh no you don't," Wolf growled, rubbing her forehead. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"

Ronin kicked off another rock and landed on the far side of the spring. He took off at a run, and felt rather than heard Cat right on his heels. He sped up, and broke through onto the lake.

"W-Woah!" Keitaro cried, slipping and landing on his stomach. "OOF!" He slid fast, but he managed to get enough traction to get to his feet-Just in time to be knocked down again by Cat's kick. "ERK!"

"I do not wish to harm you," Cat said. "But you should surrender."

Keitaro got back to his feet, and shook his head. He took a deep breath, and produced his knife and his tranq gun.

"I don't surrender," he said flatly, assuming the fighting position that had been trained and practically beaten into him. Cat nodded, and assumed her own fighting position.

"I see... My name is Silent Cat. What is yours?"

"Ronin," Keitaro replied. Sakaki nodded.

"Very well..." She began walking to the right, and Keitaro walked to the left. They sized eachother up even as they got a feel for the "ground" under their feet.

"The ice is unstable," Cat said at last. Keitaro nodded.

"Yep... Want to fight somewhere else?"

"If you were so inclined-"

"HEEEYAAAAHHH!" Both turned to see Wolf jump up high, wielding a rocket launcher. "TAKE THIS!"

"Oh no!" Cat cried, as the rocket launcher went off. Keitaro shoved her out of the way as the rocket impacted, and exploded. _KABOOM!_

"AAAAHHHH!" Wolf cried, crashing one of the shattered pieces of ice. The entire lake's surface began to break apart, leaving Keitaro and Cat on different blocks of ice.

"Damnit," he muttered. Wolf surfaced, coughing loudly.

"Wolf..." Cat could only glare at Wolf, who looked bashful as she clung desperately to the block of ice.

"Sorry... HEY! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Keitaro leaped from one block of ice to another, using his ki grip to stay on them. "Hurph!" He landed hard on another block of ice, and looked over his shoulder as Wolf and Cat began to pursue him in a similar manner. "Grr...!"

Cat reached him first, lashing out with lightning speed as she punched him. Keitaro managed to deflect it, jumping away to another ice piece. Wolf jumped up, landing on top of him.

"GAH!" Keitaro spun around, sending them both into the icy water. _SPLASH!_

"MMRGLE!" Wolf cried, flailing about. He realized the shock of the cold water was making it hard for her to swim. He grabbed onto her and swam hard and fast, dragging her up to the surface.

"PWAH!" Wolf cried. Keitaro shoved her onto the nearest block of ice, before he pulled himself up too. He thanked the fact his suit was waterproof, to say nothing of it apparently keeping him warm. Cat landed nearby, unsure. Keitaro shook his head, and picked Wolf up in his arms.

"Here... She's freezing," he said, handing her over. Cat took her into her arms.

"So are you," she said. Wolf coughed and shivered.

"I'm fine," he said.

"What is your intention here, Ronin?" She asked.

"I'm just looking around for the UN," he said. "You do realize your boss is involved in some... Illegal things, right?"

"Such as?" Sakaki asked. Keitaro explained what he knew, Wolf and Cat listening.

"How do you expect us to believe you?" Cat asked at last.

Keitaro took a deep breath. "Because... The only way you'll stop me is by killing me," he said, looking right into her eyes. "And... You're not the kind of person to do that."

They stared at eachother for a few moments, before Cat nodded slowly.

"... You will not harm anyone inside?" She asked. Ronin shook his head.

"Not if I can help it."

"You will not harm anyone inside," she said. Ronin nodded.

"All right..." He turned and jumped over the last few pieces of ice, until he hit the shore. He adjusted his camo, and set off towards the fortress. Wolf shivered, and Cat turned to head for the hot springs.

"G-G-Geez, you're r-r-really going to l-let him in?" Wolf asked, teeth chattering. Cat nodded.

"He did save you..."

"I-I-I would've b-been f-f-fine..." Wolf licked her lips. "B-B-But I d-do like h-him..."

Sakaki's cheeks turned red. "I must admit... I like him too..."

* * *

  
Well… I seem to have gotten into The_EroSennin's habit of starting off with the action first, and then filling in the gaps later. Which I will do.

This idea came to mind first when I thought about what special forces would be like in a typical modern-day anime world. One filled with magic, catgirls, giant robots, cyborgs, and martial artists who can crush tanks with their bare hands. And then I thought about what the governments of that world would do in response. And so, here we are.

I think I've established that Keitaro's in a special forces outfit, he's deep in Russia and he's looking for something big. The rest of the world will be introduced next chapter. It's kind of like "The Bet".

I know, I'm going to get a billion demands to continue one of my other fics. But my muse, bitch that she is, won't let this go. She's like a hyperactive puppy, leaping from one idea to the next.

Still, hopefully this is at least mildly entertaining. More to come.

**RUSSIANS RUSSIANS RUSSIANS...**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

"_Well, congratulations Mr. Urashima! You pass your physical with flying colors… In fact, better than flying. We'd like to ask you to consider application to a program of ours…"_

"_Oh no, I-I couldn't! I have to go to America! See, my mentor, he's-"_

"_LOOK OUT! HE HAS A GUN!"_

"_AH! Mr. Urashima, look-"_

"_PEACE FIRST! WITH A GUN!"_

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"…"

"…"

"_Wh-Why aren't you dead?!"_

"_I… I honestly have no idea… Okay, he's out. Are you all right?"_

"_I'm fine… Y-You were so brave, Mr. Urashima! You… You'd really do well in this program!"_

"_I… I don't know…"_

"_Please Mr. Urashima… A heroic person like you shouldn't waste an opportunity like this! And I know… I know more people like you can help keep the world safe."_

"_I…"_

"_Please… Promise me you'll at least consider it, Mr. Urashima?"_

"… _I… I will, ma'am… I promise…"_

_

* * *

___

_**LOVE RONIN SOLID**_

_Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy_

By Andrew J. Talon

* * *

Keitaro moved onto the open snow field in front of what his map told him was one of two main laboratory/assembly facilities. This one alone was imposing-Armored walls at least six meters tall, remote-guided turrets, and in case you spoofed those, there were guards manning towers at every corner of the wall. Behind it, the factory facility stood like a small, rectangular mountain, with a large cylinder attached to the right side. All of it was black save for a few lit windows here and there.

Keitaro tapped his earpiece.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Colonel, this is Ronin. I've made it to the first of two lab facilities. Security looks tight."

_"Are you all right, Ronin?"_ The Colonel asked.

"Just lost my mask escaping from Cat and Wolf," Ronin replied. "My camo will still work though, right?"

_"Yes, but according to Shotakon and Lennon your visibility's been increased by at least 5 percent. You're no longer invisible to thermal vision, either."_

"Great," Ronin sighed. "So, how do I get in?"

_"They've been running through the plans of the base, and they may have something,"_ the Colonel said. Keitaro's map zoomed in on a section of the wall to the northeast of him. _"This area is the outlet for their atmospheric control system. Can you see the cooling towers?"_

Keitaro zoomed in, and managed to make out a few tall, grilled structures. "I can... Why don't they have them in the base?"

_"Probably because the static build-up around them is pretty intense,"_ Shotakon cut in. _"It's effectively an electric fence. Get too close and you're fried."_

"So, how do I get in without getting fried?" Keitaro asked.

_"Well, we're in luck-The system's going to be undergoing a brief shutdown for maintenance. You'll have a window of two minutes to get in before the maintenance team arrives."_

"When's the shutdown?" Keitaro asked.

_"In five minutes... Better get moving,"_ the Colonel informed him.

"Got it," Keitaro replied. Adjusting his camo again, and keeping his head down, he headed across the snow, keeping to the shadow of the trees wherever possible. His HAITI-ATE let him "see" the cones of vision for the various guard's goggles and their searchlights, which were ultraviolet. The Americans had similar technology, mounting UV "searchlights" on UAVs that allowed them to zero in on targets without them being made aware of it until it was too late.

Keitaro's HAITI-ATE beeped a warning to him, and he paused. He adjusted his goggles and he was able to see various objects all over the ground in front of him. They were cylinders mounted on little legs, only a few centimeters in height.

"Shotakon, Lennon, this is Ronin. I think I've run into a mine field."

_"Yeah, those are mines all right... Can't figure out what's masking them though,"_ Lennon said.

_"It's an enshrouding spell, most likely,"_ Athena stated. _"Applied enmass to the mines to make them invisible. This makes it so they don't have to bury them. Rather clever, but a bit of a two-edged sword."_

"How so?" Ronin asked.

_"Anyone who moves through them is also rendered invisible by the spell,"_ Athena said. _"So it's a bit of a blessing in disguise."_

_"Why would they do that though? It might allow for infiltrations to be much easier,"_ Shotakon asked.

_"More than likely simplicity. It's easier to cast a spell on the whole minefield rather than casting it on each and every single mine,"_ Midas cut in. _"Logistics of magic."_

_"In any event Ronin, be careful,"_ Athena advised. _"There may be other traps on the way. You won't be killed but you won't be able to get inside unnoticed."_

"Got it," Ronin replied. Carefully, he crawled through the minefield, using his ki senses to keep track of the mines out of his sight. He was taking no chances, he didn't want to set one off by accident.

Slowly, he got to the wall, and slid up against it. He scooted along it, camo switching seamlessly. He kept his head down and his arms up, tranq gun out. Moving carefully, he got to the edge of the cooling towers. There were six giant cooling towers, each at least twelve meters tall, and they were painted jet black. He could feel the voltage in the air, his hair standing on end. He was glad his suit and equipment didn't seem to be effected.

"All right... I'm there," Ronin said.

_"Just in time! It's about to go offline. Don't worry, we've mapped out the path to the service duct through your HAITI-ATE. Just follow it, and get in as quick as possible,"_ Shotakon said. _"Ready... Three, two, one... Go!"_

The buzzing in the air ceased, and Ronin ran forward, following the arrows to the maintenance hatch. He knelt down, and grimaced at the padlock on it.

"Guys, it's locked."

_"Lockpick, right pocket. Use it fast!"_ Lennon shouted. Ronin produced the tool, and slid it into the padlock. He unlocked it, and opened it up. He slid down and closed the hatch behind him.

"Two things," Ronin said as he began crawling through the duct, fast. "One, when are you going to tell me what _all_ of my gear is? And two, what if they notice it's unlocked?"

_"Well, a lot of this was added to your gear at the last minute. Your mission was a bit rushed,"_ the Colonel said. _"As for them noticing it's unlocked, I'm having Shotakon and Lennon make a few changes to the maintenance log. Hopefully it won't be seen. In any event, you shouldn't linger-Get going."_

Ronin grumbled but crawled faster, following the directions of the HAITI-ATE through the air duct. He slid down at an angle, never breaking his "stride" as he continued on. It was a long, boring trip-Made worse when he ran into a grate.

"Damnit," he muttered. He pulled his knife, and broke it open. It was a progressive blade that let him cut through the screws. He resumed, crawling faster. Finally, he saw a light at the end of the long tunnel... A tunnel that went straight up.

Not a problem for him, as he used his wall crawling ability to ascend. The HAITI-ATE continued to guide his motions, right up to the higher tunnel, and the first real light Keitaro had seen in a while. He peered through it, and frowned. The map indicated he was looking out at a hallway outside of a few workrooms. Keitaro checked the map, and saw a storeroom nearby. He crawled that way, finally ending up over a grate peering into the storeroom.

A ki sense check, however, revealed that there were two people inside... And as he looked down, he saw they were a man and a woman screwing vigorously.

"Ohhh... Oh, Arturrrrr..." She moaned happily. Keitaro managed not to blush, and pressed on.

_Geez, even on a covert mission in Russia, I'm being put into all sorts of embarrassing situations,_ he thought. He turned the corner, coming to a dead end. The grate looked out onto a lab, which Keitaro's eyes and his ki senses indicated was empty. He double checked for cameras, and spotted one.

"Shotakon, Lennon, Ronin. I've got a camera on my point of egress, think you can do something about it?"

_"No can do, Ronin-It's practically analog, I can't get in,"_ Shotakon said. Keitaro nodded.

"Right... Guess I'll do this the old fashioned way then." He pulled out the tranq gun, and fired. The camera's lens was shattered, and Keitaro did another quick ki sensory check before he used his knife to open the grate and slip in silently. He replaced the grate carefully, before he looked over the work stations.

"Nobody's here," he said quietly.

_"Might be an unused lab... Still, you can get in and see what they were working on,"_ the Colonel said. Ronin moved to the nearest computer, and started it up. He inserted the special flashdrive, and ducked down. No need to attract more attention that was necessary.

_"Okay... Looks like we hit a lab that was doing mostly processing and coding for something... Called 'Project Svarog',"_ Shotakon said.

"Svarog?" Keitaro asked.

_"Svarog was the pagan Slavic god of celestial fire and of the blacksmith,"_ Midas said. _"Bit of a grandiose name, isn't it?"_

"What's the coding for?" Ronin asked.

_"We'll have to analyze it for a while, but so far it's looking like encoding for some kind of mechanical management system,"_ Lennon said. _"Not dissimilar to some of the coding used to govern the movement of military-grade mecha."_

_"Okay, so we at least know that's one project they're working on,"_ the Colonel said. _"Ronin, continue your investigation. We need to know as much as possible."_

"Got it," Keitaro said. He did a ki sweep again, and pulled the flashdrive out and turned off the computer when he sensed someone approaching. Carefully, he blended in with the office and crept through the darkness towards the wall near the door. It opened, and the sweaty pair Keitaro had seen having sex in the storage room entered.

"Oh... Just what I needed," the woman said with a smile. She kissed her lover. "Keep it up, all right?"

"Ah, r-right," the younger man said with a dazed expression and a smile. He headed off, and Keitaro couldn't miss the maintenance uniform he wore. He looked back over at the woman. She was hot, blonde and curvy. Add on the glasses and the labcoat and she looked like every geek's fantasy of a scientist babe.

She was also apparently insanely sexually frustrated...

_Oh no Ronin, you do not go down that road,_ he thought flatly. _I am definitely not James Bond..._

Plus, if he did anything, she'd know he was here. Two people already knew he was here.

_"Ronin... We're going through the identity files, trying to find out who this woman is. Sit tight, we may need you to do some interrogation,"_ the Colonel ordered.

_"Lucky bastard,"_ Shotakon and Lennon said.

Keitaro blushed, but kept silent and hidden even as the woman began to work on the computer station. He slid down silently and got under a work table as she got up and stretched.

"Mmmm... Well, may as well look over the final plans," she said. She went to the table and sat down. The humming above indicated she'd activated some kind of device. The HAITI-ATE let him get a look... A holographic interface.

What it was showing, he couldn't really tell... But the pleased sounds the doctor made above indicated she was happy with it.

"And they said they couldn't finish in six months," she said to herself. "Mmhm..."

The door opened, and Keitaro saw what looked like a young girl enter the lab.

"Doctor Evgeny!"

"Ah, Sparrow... What brings you down here?" The doctor (now identified) replied with a smile in her voice.

"I just wanted to drop off some of my cooking," Sparrow said, setting it down on the table. "You've been working so hard I thought you could use it!"

"Well, thank you Sparrow, I appreciate it," Dr. Evgeny said gratefully. "How's everything up top?"

"Oh, we should be done soon," the girl said. "Though... I am a little worried..."

"It's not that woman again, is it?" The Doctor asked, sounding exasperated.

"Well, a little... She's always telling the General to hurry up, hurry up... She's really insistent," Sparrow said. She sighed. "Miss Panda's also been bothered. She's not very good at deadlines, works at her own pace."

"Don't worry, we'll get it done in time for that Witch," Dr. Evgeny said pleasantly. "And we'll share the credit, how about that?"

"That works for me, Doctor Evgeny," Sparrow said. "But... I don't know. I'm a little... I'm not sure how I feel about... All this..."

"This again?" Evgeny sighed. "It's all right, dear... You should always have doubts... Just know when to voice them, all right? All you can do is ensure your work is being used by the right people... And the General is not a bad man, is he?"

"Well, no..."

"Then don't worry about it," Evgeny said. "Now, I need to finish up the final coding checks... You probably have work to finish yourself."

"Right! I'll see if I can bring Mr. Tadakichi in next time," Sparrow said, before she turned and walked out. Keitaro got a glimpse of another Japanese girl with auburn hair in cute pigtails that wiggled with every step before she left.

The doctor sighed. "The prodigy works in the nice lab, while I get this dump... Oh well," she shrugged. "That suits me fine..."

Keitaro began to move away, but his usual luck seemed to follow him, and Dr. Evgeny's foot lashed out and hit him.

"Hm?" She said curiously. Keitaro moved, silently getting underneath another desk and changing his camo accordingly. Dr. Evgeny got down on all fours (giving Keitaro a _great_ view down her blouse) and looked around.

"Hmmm... Could have sworn..." She looked around. Her eyes caught the damaged video camera. Her eyes narrowed. Before she could do anything else though, Keitaro shot her with his tranq gun.

"Oooh..." She slumped down, out cold. Ronin emerged, and sat the Doctor on her chair. He removed the tranq dart, and took the dart from the destroyed camera too before he exited the room.

_"Ronin, we've got some info... Dr. Inessa Evgeny is a Russian cybernetics expert who has been on sabbatical for the last three years from the university of Moscow. She's a leading expert in her field,"_ the Colonel said.

"And Sparrow?" Ronin asked, as he got up onto the ceiling and blended in.

_"Looks like she may be Mihama Chiyo, a prodigy who graduated recently from the same high school as Sakaki and Kagura-aka Wolf."_

"Great, is this base host to all sorts of Japanese school girls?" Keitaro muttered.

_"Might be... We're still trying to find out more. In the meantime, see what you can find out about this Svarog project. Something tells me it doesn't bode well for anyone,"_ the Colonel ordered.

"Roger."

* * *

**((BREEP BREEP))**

Midas: Hey, Ronin, I'd watch out for that little girl if I was you. Sparrow may look like an easy picking, but the file on her clearly states that she's a child genius.

Ronin: Just frickin' great! Another Su-chan! Of all my bad luck - why does this always happen to me?!?

Midas: Sorry to spoil your little tirade, but you have mission to complete.

Ronin: Gimme a minute, Midas.

Midas: As you probably know from before the reports indicate that all of the schoolgirls involved are friends.

Ronin: As if that wasn't obvious.

Midas: Just don't go cheating on Naru with all of the good-looking ones - I'd hate to pay for you facial reconstruction bill if Naru goes more overboard than she does.

Ronin: If I was Apollo I'd certainly give you something more than Ass ears!

Midas: Sure you do, but I'm quite safe from you, while you're in enemy territory

* * *

Ronin decided he was going to break Midas' nose once he got back home. The snarky bastard really needed to be taken down a peg or two.

Following the map, he moved along the ceiling towards what was, on the map, the "factory floor". Athena's guess was that they were utilizing magical teleportation of some kind to move raw materials in for their enhancements.

The entrances to the facilities were, as expected, heavily guarded. But the old airvents came in handy again, and Keitaro slipped into one to head inside.

_Guess they haven't read the Evil Overlord list,_ Keitaro thought. Then again, whatever they were doing required a LOT of ventilation.

_"That means they're probably working with forging... Keeping the heat from frying them... That, or something nasty to breath,"_ Shotakon suggested. _"Neither looks like a particularly good thing."_

"No kidding," Ronin replied. He came up to a fan and frowned. "Okay, how do I get around this?"

_"Hmmm... There should be another maintenance access hatch about fifteen meters to your left,"_ Lennon said. Keitaro turned and crawled down the tunnel. Fifteen meters in, his HAITI-ATE let him spy out a hatch.

"Where does this open up?" Keitaro asked, getting out his prog knife again.

_"It opens up into a general maintenance room, just off the main facility,"_ Shotakon told him. Ronin got the hatch open, and entered. The room was dark and full of tools mounted on the walls, all that looked clean and well maintained despite the dismal look of the interior in general. Keitaro closed the hatch behind him, and switched his HAITI-ATE to thermal mode.

Through the door and walls, he got a picture of a LOT of large heat sources and a _lot_ of people at work. Two guys were already heading for his room, and Keitaro leaped up onto the ceiling, blending in. The door opened.

"Always something breaking," one of the men grumbled, gathering a few tools.

"Keeps us working," offered the other. This was the new shift, Keitaro realized.

"Right, well, check on Machines 3 and 4, been kind of touchy lately," the first worker said. Keitaro crawled out of the room over their heads, blending in with the wall as he crawled for cover. One of the shapes through the IR was revealed to be a Hind, and he got underneath it. He scanned the room.

It was actually set up kind of like an auto shop-Except for aircraft, like Hinds, and tanks, and... What looked like some of the new multiped tanks the Japanese and US militaries were experimenting with. Like something out of _Ghost in the Shell_. A large scorpion-like tank, armed with a single gun for the stinger and a gatling gun on the chin.

_"Man, it's like they're ripping off the HAW-206 from _GitS_,"_ Shotakon said. _"Still, this explains the coding for Project Svarog..."_

_"In Post-Soviet Russia, tank rips off you!"_ Lennon said.

_"... Lennon, please don't try to make any more jokes,"_ Midas said. _"Comedy is such a fragile thing, no need to try to kill it."_

_"Fuck you Midas!"_

_"The majority of this base's work has been directed at making magitech accessories for existing weapons systems. Maybe building a few military mecha, but even so..."_

"Hang on," Ronin muttered. He crawled out from under the helicopter to another, then scooted to the tank. He zoomed in on a higher platform, where a woman in a black cloak and pointed hat was conducting some kind of ritual. Her face was shadowed though, so he couldn't get a good look at it.

She spoke words in a language Keitaro didn't understand, over several pieces of metal and machinery. She slammed a staff into the center of them, and stepped back. The various components pulled together and connected, ending as a single unit. The device was levitated away, and flown to nestle in one of the uncompleted mecha.

The assembled soldiers looked vaguely impressed, but Keitaro got the impression they had seen this a lot of times before. A man in the uniform of a Russian general walked up to the witch, and nodded.

"Good... How soon until they're all completed?"

"Within the hour, General," the witch replied. Keitaro blinked. How was he hearing this? Guess the HAITI-ATE had a mike option or something.

"Good... Also, the other situation we discussed?" The general asked. The witch's eyes glowed briefly through the shadow, but Keitaro still couldn't pick out any details.

"It's proceeding ahead of schedule, sir," she said.

General Gamov nodded, and turned to leave. The witch went back to her work, but no matter what Keitaro tried, he couldn't get anything from her face.

So why did she feel so familiar?

_"Ronin, that was General Gamov. See if you can follow him, find out what's he doing,"_ the Colonel ordered. Keitaro nodded.

"Roger..."

It was kind of weird to Keitaro that the general of the base was making the rounds himself. Maybe Gamov was a hands-on kind of guy. In any event, Ronin managed to slip by the guards and followed the General through the hallways. He offered a polite salute and even smile to everyone he passed. Keitaro's map suggested the man was most likely going to the project supervisor's office, which would allow Keitaro to get more data on the various projects.

Something bugged him though... The "other" project in progress. What was that?

The general went through one door, which led to the outside. Keitaro followed, his training allowing him to move silently. The door led to a wide rooftop, towards private offices across it. General Gamov made his way through the snow towards it, and Keitaro used his ki manipulation to keep himself from leaving footprints.

It would have worked too if not for the black humanoid shape that dropped out of nowhere and landed in front of the general.

"Gah! What are-?" The general tried, but the figure didn't seem to be interested in what he had to say. The sword it wielded made that pretty clear. "NO!"

Ronin reacted instinctively. He yanked out his tranquilizer and fired off several shots. One hit the general, sending him facefirst into the snow, while the others sent at the figure in black were deflected by the figure using the sword.

The very _female_ figure, Ronin soon realized. Her face was hidden by a black helmet but the suit she wore left little to the imagination.

"Who are you?" He demanded. The woman laughed.

"That is what I should be asking you, isn't it?" She asked in a distorted voice. She dashed for him, and Keitaro was struck by her blade, a blow that sent him flying across the roof and slamming into the wall. His tranq gun was blown out of his hands, skittering away.

"Ungh...!"

"Hmmm... Impressive," she said. "A normal man would have been killed by that strike..."

Keitaro slid down to the wall, and rested on his hands, panting for breath. The woman laughed again, and slowly walked towards him.

"Is that all you have to offer? How disappointing..."

Keitaro slipped the PP-2000 out of his pack and opened fire in one smooth movement, taking care not to hit the general. The woman dodged, cartwheeling out of the line of fire.

_"Ronin! Guards have been alerted to the situation, get out of there!"_ The Colonel shouted. Keitaro growled, and the woman looked smug despite the helmet.

"You seem to have attracted some attention," she said. "I win this round!"

Another woman in a silver version of the outfit suddenly appeared, and-Surprisingly-smacked the back of the black-suited woman's head.

"Idiot! Now we have guards on us!"

"But-But Nyamo, I couldn't let him just get away!" The first woman protested loudly. "Nyamo" sighed, and dragged the first woman off the roof. They leaped away, and troops began pouring onto the roof.

"General sir!"

"Are you all right?"

"He's unconscious! Get him to the medical wing!"

Keitaro, wisely, had climbed up the wall and adjusted his camo to blend in. He flipped up onto the roof and stayed out of sight as the troops fanned out and began to search. Ronin growled-Now what?

A spotlight shined down on him. He looked up and regretted it-A helicopter had risen over the roof.

_"HEY YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE!"_ The helicopter pilot shouted over the intercom. Keitaro fired off the PP-2000, managing to hit the spotlight and knock it out. He then backflipped off the roof, escaping a hail of bullets.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Colonel! I've been made! Security's after me!" Ronin called, flipping off the lower roof and sliding down the side of the building.

_"Hang in there Ronin. Find a place to hide while we try to sort this out!"_ The Colonel ordered. Keitaro kicked off the roof and flipped backwards, landing on the turret of a multiped tank. He gulped as it spun around rapidly, trying to knock him off.

"Oh great," he muttered. He spotted one of the troops pull out a missile launcher, and pointed it at him.

"DIE!" The soldier bellowed, and fired off the shot. Keitaro managed to leap off just in time-The tank wasn't so lucky, and it's turret went up in a large blast.

"YOU IDIOT!" Shouted one of the troops as Keitaro ran for it. He fired his PP-2000 into the legs of the troops ahead, sending them down with cries of pain. He leaped over them, sprinting for the wall.

"HEY YOU!"

That was all the warning Keitaro got before a foot slammed into the side of his head, and he was sent sprawling.

"Ugh!"

He looked up and groaned. Another schoolgirl stood there, wearing antenna and a pair of wings. She grinned wicked, and rubbed her hands together.

"Oh yeah... This is going to be fun! Prepare to die at the hands of BUZZING WASP!" She cried, doing a pirouette. "HIYAH!" She charged, and Keitaro got back to his feet.

"Just great," he mumbled.

Keitaro dodged her first kick, and deflected her second. She just kept up the pressure, attacking with a wide array of zany, unpredictable but relatively easily blocked attacks. Unfortunately, it was allowing the troops to surround him.

Finally, he had enough. He caught Wasp's neck punch, wrenched her around, and held his knife to her throat.

"Okay! Nobody move! She's my hostage!" He shouted.

A silent pause, then one soldier snorted.

"You'd actually kill a girl?"

"… Yes!" Keitaro lied. "I totally would!"

"Urk! Don't dig that in so hard!" Wasp gasped.

"Oh, sorry," Keitaro replied instinctively, and lightened the pressure a little. He blinked, and groaned as a number of the soldiers snickered.

"All right tough guy, why don't you just surrender? No need to make this harder than it has to be," the soldier advised.

"And take your hand off her boob!" Another soldier demanded. "Stop molesting her!"

"Oh no, I'm fine with that," Wasp practically purred. Ronin quickly moved his hand around her waist, much to Wasp's disappointment.

"Awww…"

"I'm not surrendering," Ronin said.

"Well then, we'll just have to get a sniper to shoot you in the head, won't we?" Another soldier taunted. It was at this moment the soldiers gasped in shock, and Keitaro felt two arms wrap around underneath his.

"GO!" That woman's voice from before shouted, and Keitaro had to let go of Wasp as he was lifted into the air, right up to the wall. He looked back and forth at his rescuers, before they leaped again, escaping the ensuing gunfire.

"WOAH!" Keitaro cried, as the two women leaped away again and again, putting a great deal of distance between them and the facility. They entered a grove of trees, and then landed in an electrical equipment area. Transformers and wired in a fenced-off area. The two women crouched down, and Keitaro crouched down with them.

"This should hide us for a little while," 'Nyamo" said. She looked at him. "Who are you?"

"Name's Ronin… Who are you two?" Keitaro asked. The black-garbed one snorted.

"I'm Yukari… That's Nyamo… And are you here for the same reason we are?"

"Depends… I'm here to figure out what's going on… Why are you two here?"

"To correct _this_ idiot's mistake, and save our students," Nyamo said. Yukari bristled.

"Oh hey! It was an honest mistake! And besides, this dumbass didn't hold onto Tomo when he had the chance!"

"Hey hey, hold it!" Keitaro said. "Look… Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Nyamo sighed, and her helmet opened, revealing the face of a pretty, late 20s Japanese woman. Yukari's helmet revealed much the same, except her face was scowling.

"Well… It all started when…"

"Wait... Yukari accidentally signed your students up for an overseas learning opportunity and you found out it was for work at a Russian military base and now you're here to save them, am I right?" Keitaro asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Yukari asked.

"I'm pretty observant when I want to be," Keitaro admitted modestly.

_"Or when you have friends filling you in,"_ Shotakon said.

Keitaro didn't reply to that.

"Suffice it to say, it was because this program was for magical girls _we_ thought it was a good idea," Yukari said, glaring at Nyamo. "Since the boom in their population it's been hard for most of them to adjust to living with their powers. This program offered to train them in their abilities."

"It just didn't say for what aim," Nyamo said. She sighed. "So, we slipped in after getting our hands on these suits in order to try and get our students out."

"I was planning on taking General Gamov hostage to get them," Yukari grumbled. She glared at Keitaro. "Until _you_ screwed it up!"

"I thought you were trying to kill him, give me a break!" Ronin groaned. He shook his head. "Look, something big is going down on this base anyway... Gamov's been trading in black market magitech ever since it became big. But, six months ago he stopped. Do you know anything else about this place?"

"I know we had to get through a lot of those tanks and helicopters on our way in," Yukari grumbled. "We burnt out our optical camouflage systems to do it. These ninja suits are pieces of junk!"

"It's amazing you managed to get this far in without being caught," Keitaro said.

"Even more amazing you got in without our gear," Yukari snorted.

"Well, I've been trained for it," Keitaro admitted. "I'm with SCARF."

"SCARF huh? So, is it that serious?" Asked Nyamo.

"Might be... But we won't find out here... The main building is to the south-west, I think we should try to get there, find some answers," Ronin suggested. "I can guide us there... If we work together, I think we can find a way to accomplish both our missions."

The two women looked at eachother. Nyamo nodded. Yukari made a face, but nodded as well.

"All right... Lead on, Ronin," Nyamo said. Keitaro nodded, and got up.

"Okay... Just follow me."

* * *

_SCARF (Special Combat And Reconnaissance Force is a UN overseen military organization made up of elite and preternatural soldiers from several nations. Japan organized the JSSDF (Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force) to help deal with domestic preternatural threats such as rogue magical girls, demons, and cybernetic catgirl terrorists. The JSSDF can only operate internationally in SCARF operations. Keitaro accidentally signed up for the JSSDF while trying to get a physical before he went off to America with Seta. But, he thought it over, and with some of the other benefits it offered he decided to go ahead and sign up. That was about two years ago._

_Hope you guys are enjoying things so far… Just stay tuned for more action._

_Codec convos all written by Crusader, all credit goes to him. Sorry for not including that in the last chapter, my friend._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

"_You're going to leave us?! Just like that?!"_

"_Seta thinks it's a good idea… I have a talent for this…"_

"_You're just going off to get yourself killed! You don't have to do this Keitaro! What about us? What… What about me?"_

"_I'm doing this for you! For all of you! I… I can make a difference-"_

"_You're going to get yourself KILLED like a useless idiot! You-You-I HATE YOU!"_

"_Naru! Naru wait! Naru!"_

"_Go off and get killed, idiot! Don't except me to cry!"_

"… _Naru…"_

"_Keitaro, she didn't mean it… You know she didn't…"_

"… _Sure Kitsune…"_

"_But why… Why are you doing it?"_

"… _For all of you… I… I mean it…"_

"_To prove yourself to us? Or to yourself?"_

"… _To make the world a better place…"_

_

* * *

_

_**LOVE RONIN SOLID**_

_Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy_

By Andrew J. Talon

* * *

They moved along the snow covered ground, keeping their path unpredictable. They zigged and zagged, finally reaching another small forest. Along the way, Keitaro told them his codec number, which they could use via sub-vocalization to communicate with him silently.

Keitaro had to block out Yukari for a bit when she wouldn't shut up about how he'd screwed everything up, and kept Nyamo on a private channel. It would make him less prone to strangling the mouthy woman.

"So, what all do you know about your students?" Keitaro asked.

"Well, Kagura and Sakaki's abilities are physical in nature. They're both very fast, very strong, and very agile," Nyamo explained. Yukari hung back, officially "guarding the rear" but in reality she was sulking.

"I noticed that," Keitaro said. "Wolf and Cat, right?"

Nyamo nodded. "Yes… Wasp, or Tomo as we know her, has boundless energy. Her stamina is unreal… She can also leap very far, almost flying."

"Okay… The others?"

"Well, there was Yomi. She was Tomo's best friend. She also has improved strength and agility, but she displayed the ability to influence the world around her with psychic force. Not telekinesis persay, but more like she could make invisible structures," Nyamo said.

Keitaro grimaced. "Right… Any others?"

"Well, Ayumu, or Osaka as we called her, also had some psychic talents, but her main ability seemed to be her mind. She thinks in very different ways from normal people, multi-dimensionally you might say," Nyamo said. "Finally, there's Chiyo Mihama. A child prodigy."

"Know anything else about her?" Keitaro asked. Nyamo shook her head.

"No… I'm sorry, that's all I know." She gestured back to Yukari. "And all she would know, too."

Yukari flipped Nyamo off, and blew a raspberry.

"Nyaaahhh!"

Nyamo snorted, and turned her attention back to Keitaro (who was trying not to laugh).

"So, tell me Ronin… Why'd you get into this line of work?" Nyamo asked, as they crept through the foliage. Keitaro shrugged.

"Well… I'm trying to get into Toudai, and a few years service seems like the way to do it," he said. He stopped behind a tree and scanned ahead. Nothing he could see… But something felt wrong.

"Yeah, but… This sort of thing isn't for kids like that, is it?" Nyamo said. Keitaro knelt down, and covered his head. Nyamo immediately followed suit, assuming he wouldn't do anything like that without good reason… And the reason became obvious soon enough-An object flew overhead. Yukari slipped behind a tree, for once not blathering about anything. A rarity, Keitaro imagined, judging by Nyamo's body language.

Her very _nice_ body language… _Okay, cut that out! Mission first!_

Keitaro zoomed in on the object with the HAITI-ATE, and his eyes widened behind the visor.

It vaguely resembled a cat, like an abstract take on it. Pointed ears and feet, large black eyes, a double-half-moon mouth just like a cat. However, it didn't have a tail, just two wavy arms that resembled tentacles. Tentacles that wiggled as it flew, almost silently.

It turned towards them, eyes widening. Nyamo grimaced.

_"Great, now what do we do?"_ Yukari asked over the codec. _"Maybe we can take it out."_

_"I don't think so,"_ Keitaro replied. _"We don't need the troops looking for us right away… What is it, anyway?"_

_"Looks like one of Chiyo's machines,"_ Nyamo replied.

_"Chiyo?"_

_"Cute little girl with pigtails. She's a child prodigy, entered high school at the age of nine,"_ Yukari explained. _"I suspected she was a magical girl from the start-No normal little girl could be as smart as her!"_

The UAV, Keitaro guessed he could call it, flew lower, it's eyes glowing as though it was scanning them. It's skin changed colors, and Keitaro immediately realized it had an active camouflage system of some sort.

Not good enough to fool the HAITI-ATE though.

_"Looks like something she made for class once upon a time, a Father she called it,"_ Yukari said.

_"No, that was Sakaki,"_ Nyamo told her. _"But Chiyo apparently inspired her…"_

_"That girl has serious issues,"_ Yukari opined. _"Damnit, why will that thing not go away?"_

The Father drone's eyes glowed again, and Keitaro heard a buzzing sound over the codec. He shut his down right away, but the two women he was with groaned.

"Ohhh…!"

"What is this…?"

_Screw it,_ Keitaro decided. He stood up and fired the PP-2000 at the Father drone. He blew out it's eyes, and when it tried to evade he threw a grenade at it. _KABOOM!_

The pieces of the drone fell to the forest floor, and Keitaro turned to check on Yukari and Nyamo.

"You guys okay?" He asked.

"Ugh… Fine," Nyamo groaned. "Just got a headache…"

"Ow… That lousy machine! I ought to…" Yukari trailed off, and closed her visor.

"Huh? Yukari?" Keitaro asked. Nyamo stood up straight, and her helmet visor closed as well.

"Uh… Guys? You okay?" Keitaro tried. "I-WOAH!" He jumped back, narrowly avoiding a sword slash from one of the women. "What's wrong-ARGH!" He got hit in the back by Yukari, and was sent falling onto Nyamo's blade. Fortunately for him, he was invulnerable-The sword stopped against his skin. He took hold of it, and threw himself to the side as Yukari tried to get him from behind again.

"Gah!" He cried, and pulled out a stun grenade. He threw it, and dove for cover as it went off. _BOOM!_

He arose from his improvised cover, expecting to see the two women laid out unconscious. To his surprise though, both women had vanished.

_Crap…!_ He switched his HAITI-ATE through all of it's visual scanning modes, and just barely managed to make the two women out as they bounced off. Keitaro hit his codec.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Colonel, this is Ronin! Yukari and Nyamo just flipped out and ran off!"

_"We saw Ronin… Shotakon thinks it might have had something to do with their suits,"_ the Colonel replied. _"Nevertheless, you need to get to the main facility, quickly."_

"But Colonel-!"

_"That's an order, Ronin! You need to get out of there! Your position has probably already been compromised!"_

"But Colonel, Nyamo and Yukari are just civilians!"

_"Perhaps, but those suits will give them an edge over most of the opponents they might face. You can worry about them later Ronin, your mission needs to come first,"_ the Colonel said.

Ronin sighed, and nodded. He rolled his neck nervously, and resumed his trek through the forest.

"How'd they get their hands on those suits anyway?" Ronin asked.

_"Shotakon's looking into that, too… Though they don't seem to be Japanese made. Or American. It's possible they snagged some of them on their way here."_

"So the Russians have these suits?" Ronin asked.

_"They might… Just because you haven't encountered any soldiers wearing them doesn't mean they don't have them. Be careful,"_ the Colonel ordered.

Keitaro nodded, and moved a bit more quickly. Through the trees ahead, he caught sight of the main facility. It was even bigger than the secondary factory he'd just been in-Stretching up above the snow like a medieval castle in fairy tales.

He had entered a clearing only a little distance from the edge of the forest, when a voice spoke up from all around him.

"You've become a bit careless, Ronin..." The air around him seemed to shift, and Keitaro swore he saw spider webs all over him, smothering him.

"Gack!" He cried.

"It wasn't hard to track you, after your companions fled..." The speaker descended from the trees above, supported by more of the strange webbing. She had long, brown hair and a curvy body barely concealed in a black body suit. A few red stripes here, and her goggles with eight glowing "eyes" all made her resemble a black widow spider.

"I'm impressed. I've caught anyone who snuck in here before in a much shorter amount of time..." She said, crossing her arms underneath her large, round breasts.

"Or with my help, right Spider? Right?!" Cried a familiar voice. Keitaro was unable to turn his head, but he knew who it was. Spider groaned.

"Wasp!"

Wasp herself buzzed above Keitaro's head, and landed next to and below Spider. She grinned widely, unaffected by the psychic threads.

"Wasp and Spider, huh? You're supposed to be a team?" Keitaro asked, while mentally he began to consider how to get out of this.

"Yeah!" Wasp cried happily. Spider snorted.

"Yeah. Me and loud, idiotic baggage."

"That's a remarkably poor choice of teammates," Keitaro noted. "Aren't spiders and wasps natural enemies?"

"Tell me about it," Spider grumbled.

"HA! She's just upset because her thighs went up a size," Wasp teased. Yomi's face turned red in anger.

"Shut up, Wasp!"

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you over them rubbing together-ACK!" Wasp barely evaded a web shot with her wings. She now buzzed above Keitaro and scowled. "Sheesh! Touchy~!"

Ronin looked around, and realized that he might have a way to throw off Spider's concentration.

"...Well, I think they're nice," he said.

Spider blushed darkly.

"You... What?"

"Your legs, they're very attractive. Your suit shows off your whole body very nicely," Keitaro complimented her. Spider's blush deepened.

"Oh... Really? You-You're not just saying that?"

Keitaro shook his head, making sure he was looking right into Spider's eyes when he said it. Wasp snorted, and flew down to sit on one of Spider's lines of psychic force.

"Maybe he's a chubby chaser!"

"I'm not just saying that, and I'm not a chubby-chaser!" Keitaro insisted. He coughed, and regained his composure.

"She looks as nice as that Cat woman I had to fight earlier."

"Pfft," Wasp maturely replied.

"Shut up Wasp," Yomi said. She leaned closer to Keitaro, looking intently into his eyes. "You really think that?"

"I really do," Keitaro said with a nod.

"Well… Thanks..." Spider gained a smile. "What's a nice covert operative like you doing in a place like this, anyway?"

"Corny... EEP!" Wasp was forced to dodge another web shot.

"Um...you know, saving the world, rescuing cute girls from their teacher's phenomenally bad decisions," Keitaro said modestly.

"Mm?" Spider asked. Oh Good, this one actually seemed reasonable--barring her loud friend.

"Oh, you mean Yukari-baby signing us up for this?" Wasp asked. "It's not so bad... General Gamov's actually really nice! Says we remind him of his grandchildren."

"Well, he is... Though most of our "education" consists of counter-insurgency and combat training," Spider said. Keitaro blinked, and decided to try another tact.

"Well...are you even getting paid for your work?" He asked. Spider nodded.

"Oh yes, very well, all going towards college."

"And liposuction," Wasp taunted. Spider yanked her into Double Chop range with her webbing. "ITAI!"

_"Shotakon, what weapons do I have?"_ Ronin asked silently.

_"You have a spare tranq gun in a pouch on your left shoulder,"_ he replied.

_"When were you going to tell me that?!"_ Ronin raged.

_"When you needed it, of course!"_

Keitaro was suddenly very glad for the webbing-It kept him from banging his head against anything hard. He tugged gently on his bindings… Yes! They seemed to be loosening. The more distracted Yomi got, the easier it was to move!

"I see. That's very good. I'm trying to get into Toudai, myself," Keitaro said casually, as he began to slowly, very slowly, stretch his arms back.

"Eh? Toudai? Really? What are you going to do there?" Wasp asked, rubbing her cheek from where Spider had hit her.

"Well, I was thinking Archaeology..." Keitaro said.

"Oooh... Like Indiana Jones?" Wasp asked. She buzzed up close and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tell me more..." She purred to him, batting her eyes. Spider scowled.

"Wasp! What the hell?"

"What? You get to flirt with the captive but I don't?" Wasp asked.

"I-I was not flirting!"

"Oh yeah? You haven't even called this in."

"I was going to!"

"Ha! Just because some guy likes your thunder thighs-" Wasp taunted. Spider moved closer, seamlessly switching to another set of psychic weblines in order to get in close.

"HIYAH!" She cried, bopping Wasp on the head.

"OWWW!" Wasp cried.

"I guess it's kind of like that," Keitaro allowed, continuing to play it smooth. "Along the way, I decided to boost my chances by joining the military for a tour or two."

"Hmph! I saw you... Looking at his crotch!" Wasp said, smirking and ignoring Keitaro's further remarks. "Admit it, this whole celibacy thing's driving you nuts! The moment one guy compliments you, you're willing to drop your oversized panties!"

"Well, that's-SHUT UP WASP!" Spider snarled. Keitaro cleared his throat, getting their attention back on his face.

"You shouldn't be so mean to your friend, you know. Jealousy is unbecoming," he told her.

"Jealousy?! Of what?!" Wasp huffed.

"Gee, I wonder," Spider said dryly. She pushed her boobs up with her arms.

"Well...look at her, she's gorgeous," Keitaro said. Spider preened.

"What?! No she isn't!" Wasp fumed.

"I understand why you would be jealous, though..." Keitaro went on. Spider blushed proudly, and posed a bit. "Mmm..."

"Cat and Wolf are your friends too, right?" Keitaro asked. Wasp growled at Spider, but nodded in response.

"Yeah..." Tomo sighed.

"But hey...don't be ashamed. Or angry, or jealous. You're pretty cute too," Keitaro said with a smile. Wasp blushed.

"Ah? You really think so?" She smirked. "... Or are you just complimenting me in order to escape, hmmm?" She pressed her face close to his. Keitaro blushed, but kept his cool.

"You're both very attractive, if you combined your efforts, you'd have boys falling to your feet wherever you went," he said.

"Ah... Really? What, as in... A threesome?" Spider asked with a deep blush.

"Ooh... You're a pervert, Ronin," Wasp said. She grinned. "I like that!"

"Hehe... Well…" Keitaro shrugged. He was getting closer, just a little more…

"Get off him..." Spider said, and yanked Tomo away with a sigh. Wasp snorted.

"Like you weren't thinking it, Spider."

"Hmph! TITTY TWISTER!" Spider called.

"ACK! YOU BITCH!" Wasp yelped. She jumped back onto Keitaro, and grinned at him.

"You know, we don't have to call you in for a little while~..."

"Ah...?"

Wasp closed the distance between their lips. "Mmmm~..."

"WASP!" Spider gasped.

"Mmm..." Keitaro went with it. He felt the psychic webbing failing.

"Mmmngh..." Wasp, meanwhile, aggressively slid her tongue into his mouth and wagged it all around inside.

"Wasp, what are you doing?!" Spider practically shrieked, her cheeks dark red.

"Mmmngh... Mwah... I should think that'd be obvious, Spider~..." Wasp said, briefly breaking the lip lock to grin at her partner. She kissed him again.

"Mmmm..."

Keitaro pulled away from the kiss, panting. "W-Wow..."

"Haa... I'm way better at this than Yomi... She kisses like a fish," Wasp taunted.

"I DO NOT!"

"Well, I need to see for myself." Keitaro said, as smoothly as he could.

"Ah?" Spider blushed hard.

"Heheh... I bet I'm a better kisser than you, Fat Spider~..." Wasp went on with a wink. Spider saw red. She shoved Tomo out of the way.

"Bitch! I'll show you!" She then gave Keitaro a toe curling kiss.

"Mmmm..."

"Oooh..." Wasp watched this, before she grinned. "Heh... Guess I'll find something else to use my mouth on..."

"Mmph?!" Spider broke the kiss as Wasp hovered down, her face parallel with Keitaro's crotch.

"H-Hey, wait a second Tomo!"

"Oh quit being such a prude..." Wasp huffed. She found the "panel" in Keitaro's suit that allowed him to relieve himself without having to undress completely, and opened it. Her face turned dark red.

"... Oooh...."

Keitaro's own face was bright red, but he managed to maintain his focus. The make-out session had allowed him to free his hand, and he got a hold of his spare tranq gun.

Two puffs, and both had been successfully hit with darts.

"...Sorry," he said sincerely.

"Ohhh... Son of a..." Wasp groaned. She fell, and bumped her head against his crotch.

"Gah!" Keitaro cried. _Ow...hard-headed...!_

"Ohh... You... Liar..." Spider moaned, almost sadly. She went limp. The weblines vanished, and Keitaro managed to catch her as they landed on the ground. He laid her down gently, and sighed as he made himself decent.

"...For the record, I wasn't lying. You're both really hot," he said.

"Ah..." Spider moaned, and slipped into unconsciousness… But she did smile in her sleep.

"Heheh…" Wasp managed, before she conked out too. Keitaro sighed in relief.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

Keitaro kneeled down and activated his Codec.

"Ronin."

_"Dude! How does this always happen to you?! It's just not fair!"_ Shotakon whined.

_"Enough of that, Shotakon. At least he got free without being compromised,"_ the Colonel said. Ronin winced.

"That was not as awesome as you'd think..."

_"Yeah, that headbutt looked unpleasant,"_ Lennon said.

"It was," Ronin sighed.

_"Huh... You'd think you'd be this smooth in all stressful situations,"_ Midas snorted.

_"Actually that was my training. Very good job, Ronin, you kept your cool,"_ Athena complimented.

"Thanks, I really almost lost it there, though… They're both really good kissers."

_"I'm not surprised... Shotakon, you're not reading a mess in Ronin's pants right now, are you?"_ Midas joked. Ronin growled.

"I'm a bit too sore…"

_"Enough. Ronin, get a move on. The main facility is a kilometer to the south-west of your position. You'll have to proceed without Nyamo and Yukari."_

"I can manage that. If you can get in contact with them, send them this way to pickup these girls," he said.

_"Roger that,"_ Shotakon said.

* * *

The trek over the snow to the main facility was no less dangerous and risky than before. Keitaro resorted to curling up in a ball and adjusting his camouflage to try and beat the Fathers, which continued to fly recon over the area. It was good they flew low, otherwise he'd never know if they had him in their sites.

Unless they knew he was there the whole time, and these flights were just to make him think he hadn't been detected...

_Now now, there is such a thing as too much paranoia, even here,_ he thought. He came over a ridge, and dropped down to crawl to the top of it. He now overlooked the road that he'd dismissed as too dangerous a means of entry before. As expected, it was crawling with guards, and he spotted a few more Fathers flying cover.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"We see the same thing as you, Ronin... We're working on it,"_ Shotakon said. _"Just stay cool..."_

"Not exactly hard to do in this weather," Ronin quipped.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Ronin."

_"You need to get on the next truck,"_ a digitally distorted voice said. Keitaro blinked-The channel ID said it was...

"Nyamo?"

_"Yes... Don't worry, I'm causing a distraction. Get on the truck,"_ Nyamo ordered.

"What happened to your voice?" Ronin asked.

_"No time. Get on the truck!"_

"HEY! What's going on-AUGH!"

Keitaro looked down, and his eyes widened. Nyamo, in her silver skinned suit, had jumped down and begun an attack. She slashed apart soldiers' guns with ease, and backflipped out of the way of return fire. A truck came up the road, but the moment the driver saw the chaos ahead, he hit the gas hard.

Keitaro pulled up into a crouch, took a deep breath, and leaped off the edge of the rise, falling down and landing on the roof of the truck. He managed to use his ki to redirect his momentum, sending him flying to the back of the truck.

With an artful grab, he swung himself into the back, landing as silently as a cat amid the many boxes of supplies. He looked out the rear of the truck, watching Nyamo continue to fight furiously.

_"Nyamo, I'm aboard... Thank you,"_ he sub-vocalized.

The woman leaped up high, onto the ridge Keitaro had hidden on. She raced off into the night.

_"You are welcome,"_ she spoke.

_"What happened to you two?"_ Keitaro asked.

_"Not sure... We ran off for a little while, but then we woke up some distance away. Yukari's gone off to provide another distraction, back traffic up. We'll meet up with you at the main building."_

_"How are you going to get in?"_ Keitaro asked.

_"Don't worry about us. You have your job, we have ours,"_ she said.

_"Don't forget to check on Spider and Wasp... Yomi and Tomo... I knocked them out in the woods where we were caught by the Father,"_ Keitaro reminded her.

_"Understood. Take care of yourself, O-Ronin."_

_"You too,"_ Keitaro replied.

The truck continued driving almost wildly. The driver was still panicking. A newbie, Keitaro guessed. They hit a tight turn and Keitaro was thrown into the side of the truck.

"Oof!"

He slumped on the floor, and one of the open boxes landed on top of him. "Gah!"

The truck charged on ahead, and Keitaro felt it break through a barrier. It turned on it's side and smashed into something big and heavy, and Keitaro was sent tumbling out.

"Owww..."

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"Ronin! Ronin, you all right?"_ Asked Shotakon. _"Ronin!"_

"I'm fine," Ronin muttered. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he pulled his legs into the box and laid perfectly still. A ki sense check gave him six troops... And two dogs.

_Shit..._

"The driver's been hurt, but he's okay."

One of the dogs began barking, and Keitaro held his breath.

"Eh? What is it boy? Hm?" The guard reached down, and moved a box on top of Keitaro's. Keitaro got a grip on his tranq gun.

"Oh... Steaks!" He picked one of many items on the box Keitaro was hiding in and handed it over to the dog. "Yeah, this is what you wanted, huh? Come on, let's get cleaning this up..."

Keitaro didn't breath until the guards moved off, and then slowly, very slowly, began crawling with the box over his head as cover. Anytime he sensed a guard's attention wandering towards his box, he froze. In the confusion of the cleanup, as more workers came onto the scene, Ronin slipped away into one of the locker rooms just off the main courtyard. He sneaked carefully, until he finally reached an inauspicious looking closet and hit his codec.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"Ronin, you all right?"_ Athena asked.

"I'm fine... And I'm in the main facility," Ronin replied.

_"Good... Had us worried there for a moment,"_ the Colonel said. Keitaro smiled.

"I'm good... All right, how do I get to the main computer core of this place?"

_"We're outlining the best route to get there... However, it'll take you through the main hangar of this facility,"_ Shotakon said. _"So be careful, Ronin."_

"Always am," he said. He checked with his ki senses-Empty hallway outside. Good. Keeping the box on him, he sneaked carefully out of the closet and through the doorway.

_"Ah, Ronin... Why are you wearing a box?"_ Shotakon asked.

"Well... It kept me hidden before... Might come in handy later," Ronin reasoned. "Besides, I feel really comfortable in here... Like I'm safe. Inside my box."

_"... Riiight,"_ Shotakon said. In the background, Keitaro heard some debate.

_"Are you sure he's okay? I mean, he might've taken a hard hit to the head or something..."_

_"Maybe kissing two girls at once made him loopy?"_

_"Look, he's in the facility, that's all that matters, now focus on that! If he feels comfortable in the box, and it lets him get around, then there is no need to argue about it,"_ Athena finished.

_"Yes ma'am,"_ Lennon, Midas and Shotakon all chorused. The Colonel chuckled.

_"Keep up the good work, Ronin."_

"Yes sir..." Ronin said with a smile.

* * *

Keitaro took back what he'd said about the cardboard box before. He was able to get through the hallways without anyone paying him any mind. It was unreal, actually. Well, until he got to a security checkpoint. Namely, the security checkpoint before the hallway to the main hanger.

"Hey! Who left that box there?" One of the guards demanded. Keitaro grimaced, and stopped against the corner.

_Great… Knew it couldn't last,_ he thought. "Shotakon?"

_"I can get the doors open… You just need to use one of the guard's keycards,"_ Shotakon said.

"Right…"

The guard in question approached the box, and kicked it. Keitaro didn't make a sound. His HAITI-ATE vision let him see that they were outside the view of the security cameras, just around the corner.

"Huh?"

Keitaro rose up, faster than a normal human could react, and shot the guard with a tranq dart. He covered his mouth immediately, and pulled him into the nearest room-Fortunately for Keitaro, it was another storage closet.

"Eh? Denis!" His buddy called. "Denis!"

Keitaro yanked the card off of Denis' uniform, and waited. His fellow guard, rather than do the prudent thing and sound the alarm, came around the corner too. Keitaro immediately grabbed him in a sleeper hold and held on until he stopped struggling. Dropping both guards, Keitaro stripped the one closest to his size, and pulled on his uniform.

_"Any idea why they wear balaclavas inside?"_ Ronin asked Midas.

_"Not really sure… Then again, the interior of the building has to be fairly cold,"_ Midas suggested.

_"Who cares? We have a way in,"_ Lennon said. _"Get going Ronin!"_

_"Right…"_

Keitaro exited the storage closet, and entered the hallway. He rushed up underneath the nearest camera as it pointed away, and used the keycard. The doors opened, and he entered another long hallway.

_"Man… There are a lot of long hallways,"_ Keitaro opined over the codec. _"At the same time…What the…?!"_

_"Ronin? Ronin, what is it?"_ Shotakon asked. Keitaro groaned-The whole hallway seemed to be twisting and churning, like looking at the inside of an undulating earthworm. The colors changed rapidly, and Ronin felt himself become sick.

"The hallway… Am I going insane…?" He groaned, sliding to his knees.

_"Ronin! Ronin, snap out of it! Ronin!"_ The Colonel shouted. _"Shotakon, Lennon, what is it?!"_

_We need more information! Ronin! RONIN! What's going on?"_ Shouted Shotakon. Ronin groaned again, trying to get a grip on the wall of the hallway but staring in horror as his hands seemed to melt away.

"Oh God… Everything's… It's insane…!" His liver and intestines seemed to be emerging from his stomach, and he saw the insides of his bone marrow. His brain jiggled and twisted, everything making his head hurt. He was going to throw up…!

"The corridor… It's… It's messing with my head!" Keitaro moaned. Everything was completely upside-down, inside out…!

_"RONIN! Close your eyes!"_ Athena ordered, and Keitaro, per his training, obeyed. His eyes shut, and everything seemed to stop.

"Haa… Haa… Haa…" He panted for breath. "Wha… What was that?"

_"Holographic illusions,"_ Shotakon decided. _"We're running through the HAITI-ATE's recording data in different wavelengths… It's actually pretty insidious. You can only see it in normal visible light."_

_"So, close your eyes and you are fine,"_ Athena said. _"Now, Ronin, focus your ki senses… Feel it flow through you…"_

"R-Right… Flow…" Ronin took deep breaths, allowing himself to feel it. His energy responded, and a map of the hallway emerged in his mind. Carefully, he stood up and walked, using his ki to guide his steps.

_"Pretty intense… Only if you closed your eyes could you keep yourself from going insane or otherwise being neutralized,"_ Shotakon said.

_"Stay on your guard, Ronin. This feels like a trap,"_ the Colonel said.

"Roger that," Ronin murmured. He turned a corner, and walked towards what seemed to be a large door.

_"Just use your keycard on that, Ronin, and you can enter,"_ Shotakon said. _"We'll let you know when it's safe to open your eyes."_

Keitaro managed to find the keycard port, and slipped it in. The large double doors opened, and Keitaro stepped forward. A bit of ki sonar revealed he was in a large, open area filled with people and machines.

_"Okay, go ahead Ronin,"_ Lennon said.

Keitaro opened his eyes… And they grew wider.

In the center of the massive hanger sat a giant, black monster. Supported by umbilical cords and large docking frames, the monster appeared dormant, restrained even. It did not diminish the threatening appearance of this metallic monstrosity though. Four large legs supported a massive, crab-like carapace, sharp and angular with two giant, red eyes Keitaro assumed were optic sensors of some sort. The legs themselves were armored and ended in large, mechanical claws, but a closer look and Keitaro could see these legs concealed gigantic treads, as for a tank. The carapace was decorated in weapons-Missile cells, gatling guns in turrets that appeared to be mounted on extendable tentacles, laser turrets like those of a naval warship…

Behind the monster sat what looked like its abdomen, giving the thing the look of a giant spider. This section was supported by what looked like a ground-effect skirt, as in a hovercraft. Mounted on the top of it sat a single turret, housing a long gun barrel.

Workers were all over the massive machines, fine tuning, checking, welding. Father drones flew to and fro overhead, carrying equipment.

"Shotakon… Lennon…?" Keitaro murmured softly. "What… What is this?"

"It's called Svarog," said a girl's voice, and Ronin turned to see a lithe, smiling girl. She was Japanese too, with short brown hair that only came to just above her shoulders, and her eyes were warm brown through a raccoon-like mask. She wore a white shirt, over which was a black jacket and matching skirt.

"Huh…?"

"You're right on time, Ronin-san," she said. "You made it through my trap very nicely. I guess Pandas ain't all that great at setting traps… But it's all right. It wasn't a trap… More like a test."

"A test…?" Ronin asked, backing away.

"Yes onii-chan… And you passed with flying colors."

Keitaro spun around, jaw dropping.

"Wha… Kanako…?" He shook his head at the sight of his adopted sister, flanked on either side by Yukari and Nyamo. "It… This is another illusion!"

Kanako smiled softly, and shook her head.

"You're right, onii-chan… I am…"

Keitaro was assaulted from behind, and put into the sleeper hold. He struggled, but Yukari and Nyamo moved forward to restrain him.

"HURK! GRRGH!"

"But I'm not, onii-chan… Sleep now," she whispered. Keitaro felt the prick of a needle in his neck, and the world quickly went dark. All he could hear as he went under were the sounds of his support team screaming.

_"Ronin?! Ronin, what's wrong?! RONIN! RONINNNNNNNNN!!!"_

Then everything went black.

* * *

_**GAME OVER**_

_Nah, I'm just kidding. More action and plot twists next chapter! See you next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

"_Ara ara… All packed and ready to go, Kei-kun?"_

"_Yeah Mutsumi… I am…"_

"_Everyone's sad to see you go."_

"_Shinobu hasn't stopped crying since I announced it… Motoko seems happy though."_

"_Ara… Don't believe everything you see, Kei-kun. It's never as simple as it seems."_

"_I'll keep that in mind… You know, I haven't gotten your opinion on this."_

"_Ara?"_

"_What do you think?"_

"_What do you think?"_

"… _I… I think I… Everyone's either told me this is a bad thing, that I'm being selfish or stupid… Or that I'm doing the right thing. And I feel…"_

"_Torn?"_

"_Yeah… Like, one part of me wants to go, the rest… The rest doesn't. What do you think I should do?"_

"… _Kei-kun, you are brave, and trustworthy, and determined, and strong-"_

"_No I'm-"_

"_Do not interrupt me."_

"_Uh… Okay…"_

"_You are a wonderful person, Kei-kun… And even if others think you weak willed, when you make a decision, you stick to it no matter what hardships you face. Any promise you make, you do everything in your power to keep it. That kind of strength… In my opinion… is not something that should be kept to yourself."_

"… _What about everyone else?"_

"_You fight for them, Kei-kun… They will be angry at you for it at first, but in time… They will understand. And love… Love is forgiving, and strong enough to take the distance."_

"… _Thanks Mutsumi…"_

"_Ara…Anytime, Kei-kun."_

_

* * *

_

_**LOVE RONIN SOLID**_

_Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy_

By Andrew J. Talon

* * *

_Ugh..._

Keitaro fought off the side effects of the drug, slowly rising back to consciousness. He groaned softly, and opened his eyes.

He took stock of the situation. He was bound to a table. There was a bright light in his eyes.

... He was naked.

_Uh oh..._

The table rotated, and Keitaro got a quick look around at his surroundings. He was in some kind of circular lab. That girl from before sat behind a control panel, blowing bubbles.

"Hello onii-chan."

"Kana-chan?!" Keitaro asked. "You... Why...?" He looked around. Just his luck, Yukari and Nyamo were standing there. Their faceplates were open, revealing blank stares.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Kanako began.

"To say the least!" Keitaro said.

"Well, I'll answer the obvious... But first..." She backed away. "Osaka, begin the procedure. Ladies, come along."

Yukari and Nyamo followed... Though Keitaro noticed they both stared over their shoulders at him as they left. He tried to fight his blush, but he failed.

The double doors sealed, and Osaka pulled a large, dramatic looking switch.

"Ah, hey, wait a minute, can't we talk about-?" Keitaro tried, just before his world was filled with light... And pain.

"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"

The pain seemed to go on and on, and he convulsed, violently yanking against his restraints. The agony seemed to increase by an order of magnitude... Before it stopped. He slumped in his restraints, breathing hard.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think it would cause that much pain... Fortunately there's no trauma," Osaka said brightly. Keitaro groaned, and shot her a glare.

"What did you... Do to me...?"

"Freed you, onii-chan," Kanako said, as she stepped back into the room.

"Freed me?! Freed me from what?!" Keitaro demanded. Kanako smiled as Yukari and Nyamo took up flanking positions on either side of her.

"Naru Narusegawa," she said, with more than some disdain in her voice. Keitaro blinked.

"What... What about her?"

"What do you feel for her, onii-chan?" She asked. Keitaro blinked, and thought about it.

"Well... I... I care for her..."

"Even after she told you she hated you? Even after she bullied you, dismissed you, struck you, insulted you?" Kanako asked. "Even after all that?"

Something different welled up in Keitaro's chest at that. Usually, on the rare occasion the abuse was commented on, he just said he deserved it. He was clumsy, he was awkward...

She was hurtful, unfair, uncompromising... Every time she'd hit him or insulted him came to the forefront of his mind. He found it hard to put it away

His eyes widened.

"I... What... What did you...?"

"Brother... There's something you need to know," Kanako said. "That promise you made, so long ago at the Hinata Sou? Well... It wasn't as simple as you think it was. The magical power of the Hinata Sou made your promise into a magical compulsion."

"A... A geass?" Keitaro asked. Kanako nodded.

"Yes... It subverted your free will... Made you and everyone else there a slave to the desires of Narusegawa. You were a slave... And now, you're free of it. Free to choose what to do with your life."

Keitaro stared, and slowly shook his head. As much as he wanted to deny it... He felt differently. As though Naru... _Wasn't_ the center of his universe.

Hell, did he really have that much resentment and anger locked away at her actions?

"I... But... Why?"

"Simple... We needed a test subject... And she provided it," spoke a gravelly masculine voice. Keitaro looked up, and saw General Gamov entering the lab. He smirked at him, hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm indebted to you, Ronin... Without your assistance, the final test could never have been conducted..."

"Test? What test? I... It's a weapon, isn't it? It nullifies magic," Keitaro surmised. Kanako nodded.

"Yes onii-chan... General Gamov has been working on anti-magic weapons for quite some time. I arranged to give him the resources to finish his work."

"We couldn't have done it without Miss Osaka here, of course," the general said, smiling at Osaka. Osaka turned and nodded at him with a smile.

"Thank you General!"

"Nor finished the Svarog," the general went on. He smiled at Keitaro, the triumphant master. "And now, with this confirmation, we can begin to move."

"Who are you going to use it against?" Keitaro growled.

"You know the history of my country, do you not Ronin?" Gamov said, turning and looking at the flag of the Russian Federation on the wall. "Revolution after revolution, atrocity after atrocity... A bad government torn down for something even worse... Even now, we have not learned from our mistakes." He turned and looked back at Keitaro.

"My government had me 'die', and be sent here, working on their various black ops projects," Gamov said. "I left my family behind... Even now, they think I am dead. And for all intents and purposes, I am. They have... Moved on, without me." He reached up, and took his hat off. He ran his hand through his thinning hair, and Keitaro could see a few locks of it in his hat.

"I have decided, that if I am dead... Then I will be dead for another reason," he said. "Dead because I ensured my country never again falls into the darkness of communism... The West says Marx is dead, and yet! Even now, his praises are sung, his methods adopted! No... Tyranny is all that leads to. I will ensure it never happens again..." He looked at Keitaro.

"In the Soviet state, the elites all have access to the most advanced technology, particularly in medicines... Magitech nanomachines." He smirked. "Very effective... The West has it's own versions, but we? We took them. We gave them to our nation... And, as they always did, the upper class took them for their own. Enhancing their hearts, their minds, their lungs..."

"You... The rail gun..." Keitaro's eyes widened. Kanako nodded.

"Yes, onii-chan... The anti-magic device can be deployed as a bomb. Svarog gives us a mobile deployment system. We can launch one such device right over Moscow itself."

"All their weapons will be rendered useless... And the nanomachines, which they took for themselves, well..." Gamov chuckled. "Their own undoing... It is appropriate, yes?"

"How many people are benefitting from that magitech, Gamov?" Keitaro growled. The general shrugged.

"Our worst case scenario? One million... Actual casualties will be much lighter."

"And when your leaders are dead, you'll take over? Another conquerer?" Keitaro sneered. He felt angry, doubly so at his sister for participating in this! It was all a trap, just to get him here, just to test that _weapon!_

"Nonsense... An unfortunate terrorist attack by an unknown power will cut off the head of the government," Gamov said. "I will step out, uniting the people by freely offering my technology to all... The nanomachines will keep their peace... Make them happy..."

Keitaro looked at Yukari and Nyamo, standing there like mindless drones. His horror grew. "You... You monster!"

"Am I, Ronin?" Gamov asked. "Or am I merely the only one willing to do what it takes to end the cycle of bloodshed? Over and over, the people are made into sheep... Well... Perhaps they need a shepherd... But I am no politician. I am no king! I am just a deadman... Doing what I must." He saluted Ronin. "I must attend to the operation... Kanako?"

"I... I will be there with you in a moment, General," she said quietly. Gamov nodded, and exited. Keitaro turned his glare on his sister.

"You... You're going along with this?"

"Onii-chan..."

"No! Kana-chan, how...? You arranged all this? Just to get me?"

"To free you! And to make sure you know how far I'm willing to go for you!" Kanako insisted. She moved forward, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Onii-chan, Russia will need people like you... better than me, a monster, to show compassion."

"You expect me to rule Russia with you?" Keitaro growled. "I... I'm disappointed in you, Kanako!"

Kanako bowed her head, not even blushing when she saw Keitaro's naked body. "I know, Onii-chan... I... I trapped you... Used you..." She looked back up into his face, but couldn't meet his eyes. "You were always the better person, onii-chan... Strong, firm, compassionate... I... I wanted to free you from that woman. I wanted... I want to offer you the world, Onii-chan. You deserve that and anything else I can give you."

"I don't want the world, Kana-chan," Keitaro implored. "I... I want my little sister! I don't want you to do this!"

"..." Kanako sighed, and turned away. "Regardless... It is happening... And... You will learn to embrace it... Onii-chan... You adapt... You grow... It is your way..."

"So... I don't have a choice then?" Keitaro asked flatly.

Kanako stiffened. Keitaro, angry, twisted the knife deeper.

"Then how am I really free?"

Kanako was silent. Quietly, she headed for the door.

"Osaka... Keep an eye on him, give him whatever he asks for," she said quietly. Osaka saluted.

"Yes Miss Kanako!"

"Yukari, Nyamo, come on," Kanako ordered. The two school teachers turned cyber ninjas exited, following their mistress. Keitaro bowed his head and sighed.

"So... Would you like to play a guessing game with me?" Osaka asked brightly.

Keitaro raised his eyes and stared incredulously at her. Osaka shrugged.

"Just asking..."

"I... Why are you going along with this? They're going to murder a million people, and... And you're fine with that?" Keitaro asked frankly. Osaka thought about it.

"Well... I suppose that doesn't sit right with me..."

"So why?!"

"Well, nobody asked my opinion on what we were doing," Osaka said. "They just told me to do things, and I did them. Asked me for things, and I gave them to them." She shrugged.

"So... What if I asked you to get me out of here?" Keitaro tried.

Osaka thought about it, and then smiled. She hit a control on her board, and Keitaro's bindings released. He slipped to the floor, and nearly fell over.

"I... Huh?"

"I'd let you go," Osaka said cheerfully.

"... Why?"

"Well, you asked... And it wouldn't be very polite to deny your request, would it?" Osaka asked.

Keitaro blinked again, and shook his head. Did it really matter now?

"Oh... Kay... Um..." He covered himself. "Where's my stuff?"

"I'll have to get it... Wait right there," Osaka said. She then smiled, almost impishly. "Unless you'd like me to get naked too? That way you wouldn't feel alone?"

Keitaro stared for a bit, before he slowly shook his head. "Ah... No, I'm good."

"Later then?" Osaka asked, looking a bit... Eager. Keitaro sighed, and shrugged.

"Sure... Why not?"

"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Ronin," Osaka said with a smile, before she turned and headed out the door. Keitaro sighed and rubbed his head. He then tapped his ear.

**((BREEP BREEP))**

"Colonel, this is Ronin. Can you hear me?"

_"Ronin! You all right?"_

"Fine... The decoy earpiece seems to have worked... Listen, we've got a situation on our hands..."

Keitaro briefly explained the Svarog's mission, and the Colonel considered.

_"Ronin, we can't get any forces in there in time to stop it..."_

"So... It's up to me?" He asked.

_"Yes Ronin... Don't worry though, we'll be there every step of the way,"_ the Colonel said. _"I wish I had better news, but... Well... One million people's lives depend on you. And you're all we've got."_

"So, don't screw up. Got it," Ronin sighed. "Just... One thing?"

_"Yes?"_

"... Can you get me a line to the Hinata Sou? Before everything gets crazy?" He asked.

_"... I'll see what I can do, Ronin. Good luck."_

"Thank you Colonel..."

* * *

Osaka returned with his gear, and handed it to him. Keitaro got dressed quickly, trying not to react to how she didn't turn away as he pulled on his clothing, and even looked unhappy when he was finished.

"Here, I got you this too," Osaka said, handing Keitaro a P90 with a silencer attached. Keitaro checked it, and gave Osaka a look.

"Where...?"

"The General's best troops use them," Osaka explained. "The Russian equivalent is, I'm told, lacking when it comes to reliability."

"Got it," Ronin said, loading the weapon's magazine and checking the safety. "All right..."

"I'll guide you from here," Osaka said, sitting at her computer terminal. "I've already logged my number into your communications device."

"Geez... And you took a job here?" Keitaro asked. "Why?"

"It seemed interesting, and Yukari-sensei said it'd be like an adventure," Osaka said cheerfully. Ronin stared, and shrugged with a small smile.

"Fair enough..." He headed out of the room, carefully looking around. His HAITI-ATE down over his eyes, he followed the map, moving as fast as he could. The hallways here were thick, strong steel, modern and reinforced. It wasn't easy to blend in, but Keitaro didn't care.

Speed was the best asset he had right now, not stealth.

His map indicated that the hallway opened up ahead into a large, round room. This was bad.

It got worse when, the moment he passed through the double doors, he was struck by an invisible blade and sent flying.

"GAH!"

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"Ah, Ronin, it looks like those sexy cyberninja are-"_ Shotakon tried.

"I KNOW!" Ronin barked back, flipping onto his feet and firing his P90. He could barely see the distortions of Yukari and Nyamo jumping around, their active camo shifting and trying to counter his HAITI-ATE's vision.

They dodged and deflected the bullets artfully, which Keitaro was glad for-Last thing he wanted to do was kill them.

However, it made it hard to stop them.

_"Heyah Ronin, you seem to be having some trouble,"_ Osaka observed over the codec. Keitaro ducked, avoiding a slash by Yukari, and managed to fire his P90 in time to deflect Nyamo's follow-up strike.

"A BIT!" He shouted, throwing himself into a cartwheel and barely escaping a thrust by Yukari. Even if he was invulnerable, constant hits would take a toll on his stamina.

"Yukari, Nyamo, stop this! You don't want to do this!" He shouted.

"We'd like to stop, Ronin, but we can't," Nyamo said.

"Besides, this is kind of fun!" Yukari said.

_"The nanomachines have altered their minds to be accepting of this turn of events,"_ Osaka said. _"But, they are still who they are at their cores."_

"So how does that help me?" Keitaro demanded, ducking and weaving around the two women's strikes.

_"Yukari-sensei will always be jealous of Nyamo-sensei,"_ Osaka said.

Ronin froze, just long enough to get hit hard by Nyamo and slammed into the far wall. "URK!"

"Very sorry," Nyamo repeated. Keitaro groaned, looked at the two women... And got an idea.

"You're right... You should be... Man, you hit a _lot_ harder than Yukari," Ronin said. Yukari's facemask opened, matching her mouth.

"WHAT?! I-I hit you WAY harder than Nyamo!" Yukari growled.

"Well, I am a gym teacher," Nyamo got out, clearly fighting against the urge to attack Keitaro again. "I'm much more athletic than you."

"And better looking," Ronin added. Nyamo's facemask opened, and she blushed. Yukari gaped.

"WHAT?!"

"Well, that's what most of my students think," Nyamo said. She raised her blade again.

"And you fill out the suit better," Ronin said, giving Nyamo a look up and down. Yukari seethed.

"Well, Yukari is starting to sag a bit," Nyamo said.

"I AM NOT! I AM JUST AS FIT AS I WAS IN COLLEGE!" Yukari yelled. "YOU'RE THE MUSCLE BOUND FREAK NO MAN LIKES!"

"Make that a lot," Nyamo pressed further.

"Trust me, if I wanted a cyberninja to warm my bed, it'd be Nyamo," Keitaro continued. Nyamo's blush became quite lovely... Until Yukari punched her.

"GAH! Why are you hitting ME?!" Nyamo snarled, blocking Yukari's next series of attacks.

"I'm dealing with you FIRST, you-you mannish woman!"

"Immature brat!"

"Dumbass!"

"Look who's talking!"

The two cyberninja dueled, an art-filled display of superhuman agility and the beauty of attractive women in skin-tight body suits.

Keitaro really would have stayed to watch, but he did have an appointment with saving the world. So, he blended with the background and got to the other door of the room as fast as he could go.

"HA! HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Yukari bellowed. She ran for the doors, Nyamo right on her heels.

"Sorry! I didn't mean it! You're BOTH really hot! Bye!" Keitaro said, shutting the double doors behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief and grinned.

"Thanks Osaka..."

_"No problem! Oh wait, yes, problem..."_

"What?"

Yukari's high frequency blade rammed through the door, bare centimeters away from his ear. Keitaro slowly looked at it, and nodded.

"Ah... I see..." He turned and ran. Not the Olympic dash for the finish, oh no. Keitaro had opted for the _ohshitohshitohshitohshit!_ sprint favored by those being chased by serial killers in slasher movies, or young men who have offended powerful women with swords.

So really, it was little wonder Keitaro managed to outrun them to the next set of armored doors down the hallway. Which would only last long enough for him to make _another_ dash.

_"It seems my training was very effective, Ronin,"_ Tsuruko piped in, sounding amused. _"You have no complaints this time."_

Keitaro bit back his reply-No need to make his sensei upset or waste breath better spent on running.

_"All right Ronin, just keep going,"_ Shotakon said, as Keitaro raced down another armored hallway.

"Didn't exactly have any other ideas," Keitaro replied flatly. He turned a corner and ended up plowing into a group of guards. "OOF!"

"AUGH!" They cried, sent flying into the walls like bowling pins. Keitaro groaned, and rubbed the back of his head. He got back up, and looked around at the sprawled soldiers.

"Hey, you guys okay?"

"RONIN!"

"Oh shit," he muttered, and took off again. Yukari and Nyamo rounded the corner again, swords out.

"GET BACK HERE!" Yukari bellowed. Keitaro yelped and went even faster, pushing his ki into his legs just as he was trained. Another patrol of soldiers blocked his way, but this time he ran up the wall above them, practically flying past.

"Hey, what was-OH GOD!" They cried as Yukari and Nyamo crashed through them next, not even breaking a sweat or their stride.

_"Hope those guys have health insurance,"_ Lennon muttered.

"Not helping!" Keitaro managed, skidding through another double door and closing it with a punch to the control panel. "How do I get out here?!"

_"Try the hanger. Go down this hallway, then turn right, then turn left, then run to the double doors,"_ Osaka advised.

Keitaro obeyed, rushing through the prescribed route as quickly as he could. He slid through the double doors, thankful they shut behind him.

"All right, now I..." His vision was twisted and turned into a horrific cacophony of chaos and gut-wrenching terror. "Oh..."

_"Remember Keitaro, keep your eyes shut,"_ Tsuruko advised. _"Ki sonar, you did this before."_

_"And think happy thoughts,"_ Osaka advised.

Keitaro closed his eyes, and ran, relying on his ki senses to guide him through the hallway. From his memories, he knew to turn right and headed to the double doors.

_WHAM_

"Ow! Damnit! OSAKA!" Ronin shouted.

_"Sorry, forgot the codes were changed... Just a second,"_ Osaka replied. Keitaro grimaced as he heard the double doors behind him being sliced apart. He was getting used to the sounds of shrieking metal and angry women.

"Osaka...?"

_"Patience is a virtue... But it's also a sin, I think,"_ Osaka replied. _"Why, just the other day I-"_

"OSAKA!"

The double doors opened, and Keitaro rushed through. These were about twice as thick as those he'd previously run through, so hopefully they'd last twice as long.

_CHING!_

... If they were allowed to close, that is.

"Here's Yukari~," the cyberninja grinned through the cracked double doors. Keitaro gulped as she and Nyamo worked their swords like levers, preventing the doors from closing.

"Blast doors, blast doors!" He tried.

_"Those are the blast doors,"_ Osaka said. Ronin turned and ran for it, jumping off the overviewing platform and onto the hanger floor itself.

"Hey! There he is!"

"The intruder! Get him!"

AK-47 weapons fire filled the hanger, and Keitaro ran for it, bullets whizzing every which way. He felt himself get hit once or twice, but powered on through the pain.

"Urgh...!"

He ducked behind a few snowmobiles, continuing to take fire. He poked his head up and got off a few shots with the P90, but they did little to blunt the continued assault.

"Gah...!" He grimaced. The troops were closing in all around him, continuing to tear up the vehicles he was using as cover. He had to get out of here...!

"Osaka, Shotakon, somebody open the doors!" He demanded.

_"We're working on it, Ronin, hang in there,"_ Lennon called. _"No-No, Osaka, don't do that you'll blow out the whole mainframe!"_

The firing abruptly stopped. Keitaro blinked, and slowly poked his head out from behind his cover. He gulped as he saw one of the multiped tanks approaching.

"Oh boy..."

The speakers on the tank flared to life.

_"Ronin, please surrender,"_ the voice of Sparrow implored. _"You don't want to continue resisting, do you?"_

"Yes, I think I do!" Ronin shot back. The hatch of the tank opened, and the girl poked her head out. She smiled, looking absolutely adorable in her oversized combat fatigues and combat helmet.

_Holy... She's so cute..._ He thought.

"You won't be harmed, I promise," she said.

Ronin shook his head. "Maybe I won't, but millions of people will be!"

"What do you mean?" Sparrow asked.

"I mean you've been helping the General sell out his country!" Ronin shouted. Sparrow's eyes widened, but Keitaro pressed on. "He's going out in the Svarog right now to nuke Moscow!"

Keitaro looked at the soldiers around him, and could tell they were confused and disbelieving as well. "It's the truth!"

"No... It's not happening like that," Sparrow said. "It isn't...!"

_"Yes, it is,"_ Osaka called on the intercom.

"Miss Osaka?" Sparrow asked.

_"Yes Chiyo, that's the plan,"_ Osaka said. _"The General and Kanako-nee-chan are going to hit Moscow with a nuke."_

"How... How long have you known?" Chiyo asked, looking heartbroken.

_"I suspected, but I didn't put the pieces together until now,"_ Osaka said.

Meaning, the moment he revealed his plan, Keitaro thought, getting a headache.

"Oh no... I-I need..." She looked over at the troops. "Someone get me a computer! Now!"

The troops began to move, when the tank came to life. Sparrow yelped, and held on for dear life. The turret of the multiped turned and pointed at the soldiers. Sparrow's eyes widened in horror.

"NO!"

_BOOM!_ The concussive force of the gun blasted screaming soldiers this way and that. The multiped tank began to close it's hatch, threatening to crush Sparrow.

"EEYAH!" She cried, but Keitaro had the good sense to get moving in the distraction, and he shoved her down into the cabin of the tank before she was crushed.

"ARGGGGHHH!" Though not fast enough to keep his arms from being pinned. He groaned in pain, especially when the tank started bucking about like a bull, trying to throw him off.

_"I think Kanako programmed the multiped's AI to switch on if the General's true plan came to be known,"_ Kentaro opined.

"YA THINK?!" Keitaro shouted over the codec, as other troops began to open fire on the tank from all sides. The tank responded in kind, the machine cannons in it's "pincers" opening fire.

_"Other multipeds have gone into autonomous mode,"_ Osaka reported. _"They're closing in on your position."_

Keitaro would have responded, if Yukari and Nyamo hadn't managed to break down the door and leap high above him. He looked up and gulped as they flew down.

"Oh fu-AAAAHHHH!"

They rammed their swords into his upper arms. They didn't penetrate the flesh but it sure hurt like hell.

"Oh you're so going to pay for that," Yukari hissed. "Everything you said!"

"No! Get off! Look out!" Keitaro shouted, as the tank turret turned back towards them. Yukari and Nyamo took one look at it, just as the shell fired. The two cyberninjas dodged, and another part of the hanger went up in an explosion.

"OSAKA!" Keitaro bellowed.

_"I'm trying... The internal controls have locked out Chiyo-chan..."_

"Yukari! Nyamo! Chiyo is stuck in the tank!" Keitaro yelled.

"We've got to get her out of it!" Nyamo cried, charging for the tank. Yukari mirrored her movements, and the two leaped into the air. However, rather than slamming their swords into the tank, they once again struck Keitaro.

"GYAAAHHHH! Son of a-WHY?!" Keitaro shouted.

"Must be the nanomachines," Nyamo groaned. "I... I can't fight them...!"

"Yeah, nanomachines," Yukari said. She stabbed Keitaro again.

"AUGH! QUIT IT!"

The cyberninjas leaped away again, avoiding another shot from the tank turret.

_"Ronin, I think I've got it,"_ Osaka said. _"There's a way around the nanomachines."_

"What?!" Ronin shouted.

_"Well, I tested them on myself, and I was always able to throw them off with a strong emotional reaction,"_ Osaka suggested.

"That's great, how does THAT help me?!" Ronin got out.

_"Well, first ya gotta get free,"_ Osaka said. Keitaro blinked and peered into the tank as he saw some movement.

"Chiyo? What are you doing?"

"Ah... It was hard to find some, but here it is," Chiyo said. "It's C4-It'll force the hatch open."

"C4?! You can't set that off inside the tank, you'll kill yourself!" Keitaro shouted.

"I've done the calculations, and it's just enough to blow the hatch open but not enough to kill me," Chiyo replied. "Don't worry about me, just worry about stopping this thing!"

"You mean you can't stop it inside?!" Keitaro shouted.

"No, everything's sealed," Chiyo said. "Kanako-nee-chan's very tricky... I can't believe... Anyway, are you ready?"

"Ready," Keitaro said.

"All right... Three... Two... ONE!"

_KABOOM!_ The hatch blew open, and the force of the explosion sent Keitaro flying off. He landed on the hood of a truck, denting it severely.

"Ergghhh," he groaned. He shook his arms out, restoring feeling to them, and looked up. The multiped tank was heading right for him-And Chiyo was nowhere in sight.

"Shit...!" He rolled off the truck just as the tank fired, and he sprinted fast to avoid the resulting explosion. He was still sent flying into a snowmobile, and slowly he got back up.

"URK!" Only for the blades of the two cyberninja to be pressed against either side of his neck.

"I'm sorry Keitaro, it-It's no use!" Nyamo apologized. "We can't fight it!"

"Trust me, I'm trying everything I can to fight it off," Yukari said. "But there's nothing!"

Keitaro slowly got to his feet. He looked at the two women, and back at the tank, heading their way through a few other parked vehicles. He turned back to the women, and nodded.

"Well then..." He reached out, rested his hands on the back of Yukari's neck, and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Mmph?!" Yukari gasped against his mouth, and then moaned when he sent a pulse of ki through her nervous system. Tsuruko had taught him how to do this to make someone relax and feel warm, useful if he had to do first aid to someone injured.

But Keitaro wasn't born yesterday. He'd seen Tsuruko doing this to her husband before, and the looks that passed between them weren't for first aid. His tongue slid into Yukari's mouth, quickly twisting around hers.

"Mmmmph... Mmmgh," she moaned, and wrapped her arms around him in return, deepening the kiss. Another minute, and Keitaro managed to pull away. Breathing hard, Yukari looked at him with darkened eyes.

"And now..." He turned and managed to pull off the same trick with Nyamo, practically licking her tonsils as he kissed her aggressively. She tried to punch him, but it was an ineffective blow and soon she too wrapped her arms around him.

"Uh... Uhh... TANK!" Yukari screamed. Keitaro and Nyamo broke their embrace just in time to see the multiped tank knock a truck out of it's way. Keitaro briefly wondered what had taken it so long, but his libido and his brain told him this was unimportant.

"BREAK!" He shouted, and all three of them ran just in time to escape the machine cannons of the tank. Keitaro managed to fall safely this time, and rolled back up to his feet with the imparted momentum of the shockwave. Nyamo landed next to him, sword out.

"Okay... Yukari and I will draw it's fire, you get Chiyo-chan out," Nyamo ordered. Ronin nodded.

"Ready? GO!" Nyamo shouted and charged. Yukari joined her and both cyberninjas began jumping and weaving around quickly. The tank's guns fired, trying to hit the two ninja but failing, and as the two bounced and flipped towards the back of the hanger, the tank turned it's back to Keitaro.

Ronin took his shot and rushed the tank, using his ki training to accelerate almost to a blur. The turret, however, saw him and fired.

"Gah!" He barely managed to avoid the shot, which exploded behind him. He was sent flying, and slammed into the left rear leg of the tank. "Ergh..."

It lifted it's leg and shook it, violently, trying to get him off. Feeling a bit like a flea, Keitaro crawled along the top of the tank, sticking to it's hard armor. He made it to the hatch, even as the tank bucked again. Keitaro threw himself inside the tank, and he landed in the dark and ruined interior. He grimaced at the sight his HAITI-ATE gave him.

_"Shotakon? Lennon?"_ He extended his ki senses to the burned body of Chiyo-chan. He could sense life, but it was very faint.

_"She's got some broken bones, and the blast may have done some internal damage, but she's alive,"_ Shotakon reported. _"Move her out of there, quick, but be careful!"_

As the tank continued to jostle and shake around them, Keitaro bit back a sarcastic retort and pulled the injured Chiyo-chan into his arms.

"Ohhh..." She groaned weakly.

"Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here," Ronin said softly. He held her tightly against him, and crawled for the hatch. Sticking to walls, he pulled himself out and flipped onto the tank's back. The turret swung around hard, trying to get him off. Keitaro grimaced. If he moved from here, the tank would open fire. He'd probably survive, but Chiyo-chan...

"HERE!" Nyamo shouted, and threw a bag. Keitaro reached up and caught it, and checked inside.

_"Holy shit! That's a lot of explosives!"_ Shotakon commented. Keitaro tossed them into the hatch without a second though, and pulled out his last grenade. He pulled the pin and tossed it in after the bag, before he gathered all his ki energy together and jumped away. The tank's cannon turned, tracking him...

_KABOOM!_ And a moment later it found it's body was badly damaged, unable to support it's gun. Yukari and Nyamo did the rest, attacking the joints of the damaged tank and slicing it apart. As it collapsed, Yukari beat on the turret of the tank with her sword, hard.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Yukari bellowed. "DIIIIE!"

"YUKARI!" Nyamo shouted. "I think you got it...!"

"Well... I just don't like pieces of crap that hurt my students," Yukari huffed. "Speaking of...!" She raced over to where Keitaro was cradling Chiyo. "Is she-?"

"She's fine," Keitaro said. He quickly rattled off her injuries to her. "Get her to a doctor, fast. If there's medical magitech on this base, get it in her ASAP."

"Got it," Yukari replied. "Hey wait, what are you going to do?"

Keitaro stared down at the burned face of Chiyo-chan. He looked back at the ruins of the tank. Finally, he looked at the hanger door the Svarog had no doubt used to exit.

"I'm going after that thing, and stopping it," Keitaro said.

"Wait a minute," Nyamo said. "You can't do that alone."

"You two need to stay here and take out any more multiped tanks, not to mention get Chiyo to a doctor," Keitaro said. "Don't worry, Osaka's on codec, you can talk to her about where to go. Now move!"

The two women looked at eachother, and nodded. Nyamo looked back at him.

"Good luck... Come back, all right Ronin?" Nyamo asked. Keitaro nodded, his determined look making Nyamo's cheeks turn red.

"I will..."

Yukari pressed her face close to Keitaro's, and licked his ear. He blushed.

"Ah...?"

"Don't die... I want to fuck you after that kiss," she murmured.

"YUKARI!" Nyamo shouted.

"Oh fine, you can join in," Yukari said, as she took off at high speed with Chiyo in her arms. Nyamo blushed deeply, but the look she cast Keitaro over her shoulder didn't seem angry.

Keitaro resisted a nosebleed, and shook his head.

"All right... Osaka? Where's the heavy ordnance?"

* * *

_A/N: Cue "Metal Gear Solid 3 Main Theme" here._

* * *

Kanako sat on top of the Svarog's great carapace, looking out at the clear night sky. Stars glittered like diamonds above, filled with the promise of wonder. The call of the unknown.

She sighed as the huge mecha rolled on, it's legs currently in tread mode, as it crushed small trees under it's weight.

It had almost killed her, her nii-chan's look. So full of anger and disgust... Her greatest fear though, was not that he hated her.

Well... It was one of her greatest fears, but in this case... It was the fear that she'd really broken him. She hadn't seen his eyes-She couldn't bear to look.

Would she find despair? Would she find loss?

Or... Would she find...?

_NYEEEEWWWW-BOOM!_ Kanako was thrown from her perch, and barely kept herself from falling off the Svarog.

_"What?! What was that?!"_ General Gamov called over the radio. He'd decided to pilot the machine himself-Said it was his responsibility, his call, and he was going to push the button. Kanako looked back, and her eyes widened.

The main satellite uplink antenna was one of the most important components of the Svarog. It guided the shots of the rail gun to their target. It was also one of the most vulnerable. The antenna had been destroyed. Her breath caught in her chest, and she saw the dark shape of a snowmobile speed through the trees and rush up ahead of the Svarog on the snow-covered road.

The snowmobile skidded in an arc, coming to a stop facing the Svarog. The driver lowered the spent missile launcher he'd held, and his brown eyes burned with fiery determination.

_"... Ronin,"_ Gamov said on the external speakers. _"You escaped... You are far more resourceful than I gave you credit for!"_

"I'm full of surprises," Ronin returned in a loud, clear voice.

_"You may have done some damage, Ronin, but there are backup systems,"_ Gamov stated. _"You cannot stop Svarog. You cannot stop me. You cannot stop _history._ That is what you stand against here, right now!"_

"I know," Ronin said. "A history of miserable revolutions. Of tyranny. Of destruction and murder and evil. Tearing down bad systems in the name of the people for something even worse! That's what you're doing, Gamov!"

_"Am I? We will see, Ronin,"_ Gamov stated. _"I offer you one last chance... Get out of the way. Follow your sister's example. Join us!"_

Keitaro's reply was to calmly reload the missile launcher, and heft it up over his shoulder. He revved the snowmobile engine in challenge.

_"So be it!"_ Gamov shouted, and the Svarog's two massive treads rose and spread into four massive legs. It's eyes glowed, and the mecha detached from the railgun section. Kanako jumped off, landing on the rail gun. She stared back at the battle, hidden with her active camo.

The Svarog charged towards Keitaro, just as the man codenamed Ronin hit the gas and accelerated for the Svarog. Kanako's face broke into a smile.

Her onii-chan was not broken... He was fighting on. He was the hero she knew he was.

_... God, I'm soaked._

And she had never been more turned on in her life.

* * *

_The epic conclusion, next time! Happy Easter to everyone!_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

_"Urgh..."_

_"All right, I think that's enough for today."_

_"Am I... Doing better, Tsuruko-sensei?"_

_"Much better... But try to remember that it's not just how well you do."_

_"How well I do?"_

_"You get the forms well, but there is uncertainty in your motions. You're afraid of messing up, and that fear makes you mess up."_

_"But I keep doing that anyway..."_

_"Well... If you do continue to mess up, then there is only one thing to do."_

_"What?"_

_"Try to mess up in a way that helps your mission..."_

_"Helps my mission...?"_

_"You'll figure it out, Urashima. Now then... Let's try it again."_

_"Yes sensei..."_

_

* * *

_

_**LOVE RONIN SOLID**_

_Tactical Espionage Romantic Comedy_

By Andrew J. Talon

* * *

Naru was surprised at Kitsune's barging into her room. And even more surprised when she slammed a phone down in front of her, on her textbooks.

"Kitsune, what-?"

"I've tried being polite, I've tried being subtle, so now we're going to do this the hard way," she said flatly. "Call him. Now."

Naru stared, and scowled. "What? I don't have to-"

Kitsune grabbed Naru's hair and tugged, hard.

"OW OW OW STOP IT STOP IT!"

"Stop being so stubborn!" Kitsune growled. "Or should I spank you instead?"

"You-You wouldn't-OW!" Naru cried as Kitsune tightened her grip. "Okay, okay, I'll call!"

"Good," Kitsune said. She let Naru go. Naru made a face, but picked up the receiver and dialed the number. She waited, as Kitsune sat down and crossed her arms under her breasts, her squinted eyes narrowed at the younger girl. Several rings later, Naru got a response.

"Yes, I'd like to talk to Urashima Keitaro," Naru said. She frowned. "... Oh. He's on a mission? I see... Well, um, sorry to bother you." She hung up and shrugged.

"He's not there. Oh well, I guess I'll just-"

"Su," Kitsune called. The blonde genius entered the room, holding up some sort of twisted contraption Naru was immediately afraid of.

"H-Hey! What's that?"

"Su knows people in JSSDF," the genius explained, setting up the device and attaching it to the phone. "Also knows equipment SCARF uses. Not too hard to figure it out." She beamed. "Will be able to talk to Manager in no time!"

"Oh... Great," Naru said flatly. Kitsune smirked.

She couldn't escape now. Kitsune just hoped Keitaro wasn't too busy at the moment.

* * *

Bullets shot through the air all around him, as laser blasts heated that same air to almost scorching temperatures. Trees popped out in front of him as Keitaro drove the snowmobile to full speed, and he swerved and evaded them as best he could.

He wished he was _behind_ the Svarog at the moment-At least then he wouldn't have to add dodging trees to the things he had to look out for.

Not so much for himself, but if he was hit hard enough, his backpack full of RPGs would go off, leaving him with no weapons with which to fight the giant mecha.

_"Face me, Ronin,"_ Gamov shouted. _"Or are you afraid? The invulnerable man?"_

Keitaro looked over his shoulder, and gritted his teeth. He cursed the designers of this stupid snowbike to the darkest pits of hell.

He pulled out another RPG, and loaded it into the launcher he was holding between his knees. It was snow going, especially as he had to duck to avoid a low-hanging branch. He turned left, hoping heading back towards the railgun section, and sent the snowmobile into a skid. He hefted the launcher up, took careful aim, and fired again.

The missile flew out, and struck one of Svarog's upper legs.

_"Good, keep that up!"_ Haitani shouted. _"Its joints are the most vulnerable parts of it!"_

"Doesn't seem to be doing much!" Ronin shouted back, as Svarog returned fire with a machine cannon. Bullets bounced off the tail of the snowmobile, but Keitaro straightened out and gunned the engine. He slid down an embankment onto a frozen river and flew down it, the giant mecha pausing at the edge.

"Isn't there some kind of weak spot for massive damage or something?!" He shouted.

_"What do you think this is, some kind of video game?"_ Osaka asked. _"It's a mecha, it's most vulnerable points are it's joints."_

"Anything to make my life easier!" Ronin growled. He then heard a loud buzzing sound. "Hey, what's tha-?"

He looked over his shoulder just in time to see several flying, glowing silver balls shooting for him. Keitaro didn't know what they were, but he got the impression they weren't good things.

_KABOOM!_

Especially when they blew up, sending him flying off the snowmobile and skidding across the ice.

"Gaaaahhh!"

_"Oh, those... Those are anti-personnel mines,"_ Osaka said. _They're magically guided to their targets from the Svarog."_

"And... You were going to tell me about them when...?" Keitaro groaned, as he slowly got back to his feet.

_"When you asked, of course. It's only polite,"_ Osaka said brightly. Ronin turned and saw more mines flying their way towards him, and shook his head.

"Swell..."

* * *

Keitaro ran for it, using a ki-assisted boost to accelerate and that same energy to maintain traction on the ice. The mines flew after him, and the buzzing sound got more high pitched.

_Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!_ He leaped up and kicked off a tree, launching himself high into the air. He curled into a ball and spun fast, and landed on another tree. He kicked off it as well-The mines couldn't follow.

_KABOOM!_

Ronin landed on the ground, and quickly got his bearings. He was close to the railgun section, which had apparently moved to near the lake. The lake didn't look like the one Keitaro had fought Wolf and Cat on, but it was a little hard to tell. The Svarog crashed through the trees, it's optical sensors glowing ominously and it's engine growling loudly.

Keitaro loaded another RPG, and took aim.

_"You can't defeat me, Ronin,"_ Gamov stated over the loudspeaker. _"I commend you for your courage, but it's too late-The weapon's secondary systems have come online. It will be launching soon."_

"Then I guess I have to... Hurry this up!" Ronin shouted back.

_"'Hurry this up?'"_ Midas asked.

_"What?"_ Gamov called.

"I _said-!_" Ronin began to shout.

_"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"_ Gamov shouted back.

"Oh screw this," Keitaro muttered. He fired off another RPG, and threw himself to the side as the Svarog's machine guns returned fire. Ronin's shot hit one of the joints of the Svarog, making the whole thing shake.

_"Gah...!"_

Ronin rose, and grinned.

_It's working! It's work-!_

Svarog fired off another volley of mines, and Ronin cut his thought short as he turned and ran. He was getting tired-All this ki exertion was wearing him down. He saw the rail gun rise, felt the static electricity build in the air. It was going to fire. How could he stop it?

**((BREEP BREEP))**

_"Keitaro?"_

"Naru? I-CRAP!" He threw another burst of ki into his jump, and managed to escape the barrage of mines once more. "How'd you get this-?"

_"Look, that's not important... What are you doing?"_ Naru asked.

"Uhhh... Nothing! Nothing! How are you?" Keitaro asked quickly. He reloaded his RPG and fired off another shot at the Svarog. He then ran for the railgun section-Hopefully Gamov wouldn't risk destroying the weapon.

_"I'm fine... I just wanted to tell you..."_

"Yes?" Keitaro asked, sprinting across the snow as one of the Svarog's lasers tried to track him.

_"Well... I forgive you for running off to join the JSSDF,"_ she said.

Keitaro barely avoided another machine gun volley, as he took refuge behind a boulder. The Svarog slowly headed for him, and Keitaro saw through the HAITI-ATE that what looked like an anti-tank missile was being armed.

"Uh, that's great," Keitaro replied, reloading his RPG.

_"That's great? That's it?"_ Naru asked flatly.

"Well, isn't it?" Keitaro asked.

_"Well, you haven't even said you're sorry!"_ Naru admonished.

The Svarog fired the missile, and Keitaro fired the RPG at the Svarog while he went into another sprint-All the time heading for the railgun. The anti-tank missile slammed into the boulder behind him, and sent him flying.

"GAH! Naru, c-can we talk about this some other time?" Keitaro asked, pushing himself up and checking his RPG launcher. It was still in working order, which was his main concern-He may have been invulnerable but it wasn't.

_"Oh, so you're just going to run away from the issue?"_ Naru demanded, getting angrier.

Keitaro, normally, would have felt he deserved Naru's beratement and would immediately offer an apology. This wasn't how things normally were though.

"Naru, I didn't _do anything wrong,_" Keitaro returned. "I only went into the JSSDF to pay for Toudai so I could keep my promise!"

_"So that excuses you for running off? Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, the way you keep running from failure and-!"_

"NARU! I'M A LITTLE BUSY AT THE MOMENT!" Keitaro shouted, returning fire on the Svarog. The mecha returned the favor, anti-personnel mines launching in a gigantic swarm.

_"Don't you shout at me!"_ Naru shouted back. _"I haven't done anything wrong and you're-What _are_you doing anyway?!_"

"I'm-GAAAAAAHHHHH!" That moment's distraction had cost him, and he was blown off his feet. To add injury to insult, he slammed against the railgun section's hull and fell down, face first, into the snow. "Mmmph!"

_"What are you screaming about? And what are all those loud noises? Are you... Are you playing VIDEO GAMES?"_ Naru demanded.

"..." Keitaro really couldn't say anything to that. He would have beat his head against something hard but it was already ringing from the impact with the railgun section's hull. He groaned and raised his head, which let him see the Svarog approach triumphantly.

_"You fought well... So I will give you a proper death, Ronin. One solider to another,"_ Gamov called. Another swarm of mines was launched. Keitaro tried to figure out how this constituted a "proper death", even as he looked up at the railgun barrel.

And he got an idea.

It was crazy... But it had to work. He leaped up onto the armored top of the railgun section, and found one of the airinlets for the hovering system. It was quieter than you would expect such a system to be, but it still required a large inlet. An inlet covered by a protective screen. He opened his never-full backpack.

_"Keitaro! Keitaro, answer me! KEITARO!"_ Naru shrieked in his ear, but Keitaro ignored her. He waited, seconds ticking away as the buzzing mines approached, before he ducked down... And, using every bit of his remaining ki, he yanked the screen off. He threw himself inside just as the mines reached him, and he dumped all the RPGs he'd crammed into his pack into the system.

He was blasted with explosions, sent smashing through the turbines and nearly ground up, and set on fire in one last massive explosion. It was horrible. It was agony.

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"_

Gamov's bellow, faintly heard over the chaos he'd inspired, also showed it was victory.

The dust settled. Keitaro groaned, and shook his head. He was lying in the snow, his clothing in tatters. It looked like nearly all his gear had been destroyed... Aside from his HAITI-ATE, it had somehow survived. He slowly, very slowly, sat up. He groaned, aching all over.

He'd been blasted clear of the railgun section, which was left as a burning hulk. Ronin couldn't help his grin at this.

"ARGH!" A grin that vanished as one of Svarog's massive tread-legs slammed down on top of him.

_"... That was a mistake,"_ Gamov stated.

Keitaro would have replied, but all the breath had been crushed out of his chest. So he could only gurgle weakly.

_"Keitaro! KEITARO! ... Well fine, if you'd really prefer to play video games then go on! You idiotic jerk!"_ Naru snarled.

_I'M DYING YOU STUPID BITCH!_ Keitaro thought furiously. He heard the call disconnect.

It just figured, Su's thoughtless application of mad science and Naru's bitching got him killed.

_Well... At least... I saved them..._ He thought, as everything began to go dark.

_CHING!_

The pressure eased, and Keitaro managed to see that it was because the leg crushing him fell over into the snow. He sucked in a deep breath, and stared as the Svarog reeled back.

_"WHAT?! NO!"_ Gamov cried. The mecha struggled to retain it's footing, just as another RPG launcher fell next to Keitaro. Or rather, the same one-It was horribly beat up, but it still had one last shot, already loaded.

Keitaro's body screamed in protest, but he didn't let it stop him. He couldn't. He grabbed the missile launcher, and pushed himself to kneel. He lifted the weapon, taking deep breaths, and targeted the stump of a leg. He fired.

_KABOOM!_ The force of the RPG's blast was transferred into the main joint assembly for the Svarog's legs. Keitaro watched, as the entire system seemed to freeze up, the internal mechanices badly damaged. This, combined with the missing leg, resulted in the whole giant mecha losing it's balance, and tipping over. Keitaro rolled, just barely getting out of the way as the great metal mass slammed down into the snow. Keitaro stared dumbly at the giant eyes of the Svarog, and managed to get to his feet.

"Ugh..." He looked it over, and the main hatch opened up. General Gamov emerged from the Svarog. He gave Keitaro a deadly glare, and held up a gun.

"RONIN!" He bellowed, and fired the shot. Keitaro ran for him, neverminding the shots. He couldn't be hurt, not now. But he wasn't going to let this man continue to try to hurt anyone.

"GAH!" The general cried as Keitaro slammed his palm into his chest. The general went down hard onto the hull of the Svarog, and his face paled.

"Gaahhh... Aggh..." He groaned. Keitaro took several deep breaths, before he kneeled down.

"They... They're not working," the general gasped, his hand on his heart. "Not... Not working...!"

"What, what's not working?" Keitaro asked. "What?!"

"... Nanomachines..." The general stared up at the sky, his face contorted not so much in anger as despair.

"No... Haa... I couldn't... It... Haa..."

"Hey... Look, don't move," Ronin said. "We'll... We'll get you to the doctor..."

"No... No more doctors," the general coughed. "It's... Too late for that..." He looked into Ronin's eyes.

"The only thing, haa... Keeping my heart going... Haa... is the nanomachines," he said. Ronin stared. The general closed his eyes, and managed a choked laugh.

"You... You can see... The irony... Can't you...?" He asked. Keitaro looked at his hand, the memory of the anti-magic field being used on him...

His eyes widened. "I... I killed you...?"

"No... Not really," the general said. "From the moment... Haa... I was told to be dead... I was," the general went on. "My family grieved... And moved on... And I? I... Was dead." He coughed. "Even the nanomachines... Just... Let me stay in denial of it... Haa... In a way... I should thank you... Haa..." He stared dully. "You were right... Haa... I was just... A dead man... Haa... Who wanted to be remembered..."

"No, look, just hang in there-!"

"Stop... I failed..." The general said. "Don't... Don't waste it on the dead... That heart of yours..." He sucked in a deep breath. "I guess... I can only accept it... What's done is done..." He shook his head, and closed his eyes. Keitaro felt his pulse slow, until it vanished entirely. He stared at the dead general, and bowed his head.

_"... Ronin? Ronin, do you read?"_ The Colonel called.

"... Ronin here," Keitaro said quietly.

_"We managed to reestablish communications... Something overrode our system..."_

"Yeah... I know," he said. "Gamov's dead... Svarog is disabled."

He slowly rose, and stared down at the body of the general. He found his hand lifting itself to his forehead, forming a salute. He didn't try to stop himself... It felt right, even in the midst of his conflicting emotions.

He looked around, and spotted the dark form of a cyberninja on the top of the Svarog. He stared at her.

"... Kanako," he said. Her faceplate opened, and his sister smiled at him.

"Onii-chan... You did it. You saved the world, just as I knew you would," she said. Keitaro's eyes widened.

"You mean...?"

"All of it...? No. I did not plan it all," Kanako said. "I merely... Pushed a few pieces into place, here and there... And here, you succeeded. Beyond my wildest dreams."

"Why?" Keitaro demanded.

"Because that _place_ would have you trapped, a slave to the whims of that horrible girl," Kanako said, "when to me... You are my hero, Onii-chan. You always protected me, always defended me, always took care and loved me... And the world... The world should know that you are a hero."

Keitaro stared at her, silent in thought, before he at last answered her.

"I'm not a hero, Kana-chan... I'm only doing the right thing." He shook his head. "And... Whatever you may think or feel, I... I'm not the hero you think I am. And this? All of this...?" He shook his head. "No... I can't accept it." He glared at her. "You're coming with me, Kana-chan."

"You are... Going to arrest me?" Kanako asked softly.

"You nearly got millions of people killed. And got a lot of men just doing their jobs killed, too," Keitaro said flatly. "I'm not your hero, Kana-chan. I have a duty to do..."

"...You were always so stubborn," Kanako sighed. "In a way... I'm glad it's not because of that place." She smiled. "But... You taught me to never give up, Onii-chan... And how could I be a good little sister if I didn't follow my big brother's instructions?"

She smiled.

"I will just have to show you how much of a hero you truly are, Onii-chan... Until it sticks." She closed her faceplate and vanished. Keitaro would have chased after her, but the sound of a helicopter distracted him. He looked up, and saw a Hind hovering overhead. A ladder was thrown down, and he saw Spider looking down.

"COME ON RONIN!" She shouted. "WE'VE GOT TO GO!"

Keitaro looked out, and saw a large number of troops and vehicles converging on the area. He grabbed onto the ladder, and began to climb as the helicopter pulled away. Strong arms took hold of his shoulders when his head reached the hatch, and he was pulled into the cabin.

"Ack!" He landed on top of Spider, who's cheeks blushed brightly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It-It's okay," Spider replied. He rolled off her, and slumped onto one of the uncomfortable seats in the helicopter.

Keitaro looked around the cabin. Chiyo was there, wrapped in bandages but looking far healthier than when he'd last seen her. She smiled at him. Yukari, Wasp, Wolf, Cat, and Nyamo were also there.

So who was flying...?

_"Looks like we've got a lot of ground to cover,"_ Osaka announced over the PA, as Nyamo shut the hatch of the helicopter. _"So fortunately, we aren't going to be walking, as a helicopter has no legs."_ A pause. _"It does, however, have wheels, but they aren't much use for driving."_

"Just keep us on course, Miss Osaka," Chiyo said weakly. She looked at Keitaro and her smile grew, a smile he couldn't help but return.

"Thank you, Ronin," she said.

"Don't mention it," Keitaro said. He sighed, and leaned back in his seat. "Don't mention it..."

His thoughts turned to his little sister, and he frowned, his memories drifting. He remembered... He remembered promises. So many he'd made...

... Including one with Kanako... What had he said?

_"I promise, Kana-chan... I'll always be there... Always be your hero..."_

_Oh no..._ His little sister... He closed his eyes and groaned.

"You okay?" Nyamo asked, sitting next to him. Keitaro sighed.

"... My sister tried to free me so I could be her hero," he said. "But... She's a slave to that desire..." He shook his head, and sighed deeply. "I've gotta say... I _hate_ magic."

Nyamo chuckled, and patted his shoulder. "It does... Seem to be made of irony, doesn't it?"

"Exactly," Keitaro muttered. Yukari walked up and sat in his lap. Keitaro blushed.

"Ah...?"

"Now, now Ronin," Yukari purred. "Remember what I said before?"

Keitaro gulped. "N-Now?"

"Well, why not?"

"Damnit Yukari, don't you have any shame?!"

"Yeah! Yomi and I called him first!"

"We _met_ him first," Wolf said with a grin. "I say, that counts as dibs!"

"You will not do anything like that with Chiyo-chan around," Sakaki said flatly.

"Oh come on, it's educational!" Tomo protested.

Keitaro shook his head, and chuckled. The chuckle became a laugh, as all the tension left his body. He laughed until he cried, and smiled at the women.

"... Thanks," he said. "After today... I really needed that."

"Well then... Anything else you need... We'll give you," Yukari said.

"Promise," Nyamo said.

"... Just be careful how you phrase it, okay?" Keitaro said. "A promise... Is a dangerous thing."

* * *

The USS _George Washington_ was currently stationed off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The official story was a training exercise in the northern Pacific. She had been deployed for about one month, and the official channels with the Russian Federation allowed these operations provided the _Washington_ and her battlegroup didn't violate Russian airspace.

And, being gracious guests, the Americans hadn't. They'd left that to the SCARF operatives running their mission. Not that most of the sailors on the _Washington_ were aware of this-All they knew was that a Russian Hind had been forced to ditch a few miles out from the carrier battlegroup due to a navigation error, and their aircrews had fished them out.

There was some curiosity and speculation about what eight cute Japanese girls and one Japanese guy were doing flying a Hind when they were brought onboard, but most sailors were told to keep it to themselves. The media correspondents were kept busy on flight ops in the backseats of F/A-18F Super Hornets involved in mockdogfights all day.

When they returned, the Hind incident was released to them as a group of Japanese tourists who had been out for a ride on a commercial Russian helicopter and crashed. Keitaro and the others were interviewed by the reporters, but as it wasn't particularly interesting for any of the networks, the incident received almost no mention in the press.

This accomplished, the nine Japanese citizens were taken from the _George Washington_ a few days later and taken back to the Yokohama Naval Base, tranferred from ship to ship, US Navy to Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force vessel, until finally, Keitaro was met by the Colonel and Tsuruko on the naval base's tarmac.

"So Colonel," Keitaro began. "Nice to see you again."

"Good to see you in one piece, Ronin," the Colonel replied. Tsuruko smiled as well.

"You did very well..."

"I didn't hear much about the fallout," Keitaro admitted. "What happened?"

"The Russians are keeping the coup attempt quiet," the Colonel said. "The whole thing would be embarassing, and if they revealed that Gamov was behind it, they'd have to admit he never died and that they had that base." He smirked a bit. "However, it seems all their research data and most of their machinery was destroyed."

Keitaro smirked a little. "Tragic..."

"Truly," Tsuruko said. "Now... Come."

They took him to a nearby empty hanger, which was closed off. They sat around a table, and Keitaro sighed quietly.

"You're going to ask me about Kanako, aren't you?" He asked. Tsuruko nodded.

"... I think she's under a similar geass to mine," he said. "I... We made a promise, at the Hinata Sou. She... Wants me to be her hero."

"So, she set this incident up to make you act as the hero?" The Colonel asked. Keitaro nodded.

Tsuruko frowned.

"Then she will keep doing this... So long as she is under this compulsion."

Keitaro nodded grimly. "Yes."

"Then we have a problem," the Colonel sighed. He knit his fingers together and looked over at Keitaro. "We'll have to find her."

"Find her... And free her," Keitaro said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Ronin... But you can't let it distract you," the Colonel said. Keitaro frowned.

"But... If she's in this because of me..."

"You made your own choices even while under the geass," Tsuruko said. "It doesn't completely control you, you have to feed it..."

"So... Naru...?" Keitaro asked.

"I'm afraid that's something you'll have to decide for yourself, Keitaro," Tsuruko said gently. She smiled a bit. "But please... Do not forget that she is not the only girl at the Sou to care for you. And I suspect that with the geass gone, they will no longer be so... Restrained, in their affections."

Keitaro flushed. "I... Right," he said. He thought a bit. "What about the girls?"

"Don't worry. They were deceived like the others, and as they were working at a base that does not exist, they have not done anything to warrant prosecution," the Colonel said. "We're actually hiring them on, so they'll have money for college. Any college they want to go to."

"Mihama-san in particular wants to work for us full-time as soon as she's got her degree," the Colonel smiled. "I'm inclined to allow her."

"Yes, she said she wanted to, what was it...? 'Look over and help the man who saved her life, and saved the world from her creation?'" Tsuruko quoted, still smiling in perfect serenity.

"That's great," Keitaro sighed. "Well... At least you didn't tell them my real name."

Silence. Keitaro lifted his head, and his eyes narrowed at the Colonel.

"Right, _sir?'_

The Colonel just shrugged. "Even professionals let something slip every now and then..."

"Look on the bright side, Urashima-san," Tsuruko said. "Your dormitory will have many more tenants, and you will receive a great deal more side-income." Her smile grew impish. "Especially if your tenants were to have children... Birthrates _are_ quite low nowadays..."

"Ronin, stop pounding your head against the table. It was made just for this meeting, you know..."

"Nngh..." Keitaro groaned.

"But, in light of this mission, we're giving you a new codename... Or rather a modified one," the Colonel said. "You've done very well... A lot of SCARF's higher ups weren't too sure about you, but you've proven that you're dependable... Strong..."

"In other words, solid," Tsuruko said. "A solid Ronin."

"Solid Ronin?" Keitaro asked. He shook his head. "It sounds kind of... Stupid."

"Tsuruko came up with it," the Colonel said gravely, and Keitaro saw the wedding band on his finger. "And I'm not arguing. It's very good."

Tsuruko just smiled warmly. "Thank you dear."

The Colonel coughed, as Tsuruko fingered her matching wedding ring. Keitaro very slowly nodded.

"Solid Ronin it is..."

* * *

**_And so, Operation Maidenhead ends with happy ladies. As all such missions should. But it will not be the last. Keitaro Urashima, better known as Solid Ronin, will return... In Love Ronin Solid 2._**

**_As a special bonus, enjoy this omake by FinalMax, an alternate scene for chapter 4:_**

_Ugh..._

Keitaro fought off the side effects of the drug, slowly rising back to consciousness. He groaned softly, and opened his eyes.

He took stock of the situation. He was bound to a table. There was a bright light in his eyes.

... He was naked.

_Uh oh..._

The table rotated, and Keitaro got a quick look around at his surroundings. He was in some kind of circular lab. That girl from before sat behind a control panel, blowing bubbles.

"Hello onii-chan."

"Kana-chan?!" Keitaro asked. "You... Why...?" He looked around. Just his luck, Yukari and Nyamo were standing there. Their faceplates were open, revealing blank stares.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Kanako began.

"To say the least!" Keitaro said.

"Well, I'll answer the obvious... But first..." She backed away. "Osaka, begin the procedure. Ladies, come along."

Yukari and Nyamo followed... Though Keitaro noticed they both stared over their shoulders at him as they left. He tried to fight his blush, but he failed.

The double doors sealed, and Osaka pulled a large, dramatic looking switch.

"Ah, hey, wait a minute, can't we talk about-?" Keitaro tried, just before his world was filled with light... And pain.

"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"

The pain seemed to go on and on, and he convulsed, violently yanking against his restraints. The agony seemed to increase by an order of magnitude... Before it stopped. He slumped in his restraints, breathing hard.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think it would cause that much pain... Fortunately there's no trauma," Osaka said brightly. Keitaro groaned, and shot her a glare.

"What did you... Do to me...?"

"Freed you, onii-chan," Kanako said, as she stepped back into the room.

"Freed me?! Freed me from what?!" Keitaro demanded. Kanako smiled as Yukari and Nyamo took up flanking positions on either side of her.

"Naru Narusegawa," she said, with more than some disdain in her voice. Keitaro blinked.

"What... What about her?"

"What do you feel for her, onii-chan?" She asked. Keitaro blinked, and thought about it.

"Well... I... I care for her..."

"Even after she told you she hated you? Even after she bullied you, dismissed you, struck you, insulted you?" Kanako asked. "Even after all that?"

Keitaro thought a bit. Naru's actions did hurt, especially right before he left, but he still enjoyed being around her. "I might not like what she did, but that doesn't change how I feel."

"Huh, was that a failure?" Kanako asked Osaka who was pouring over the data. "The magical compulsion should have been removed, right?"

"Um," Osaka tilted her head with a quizzical look before bopping it with her fist, "I know it got rid of _a_ magical compulsion. Unless he's got more than one affecting him, it should have worked."

"Magical ... you mean a geass of some kind?" Keitaro wondered aloud.

"Yes, onii-chan. Your promise to Narusegawa was enforced by the magic of the Hinata Sou. All promises there are enforced ... by ... it." A sudden, horrible thought occurred to Kanako. _Did the process get rid of his promise to me? I didn't make that promise there, right?_

"Kanako," Keitaro warned his adopted sibling, "I'm going to call Granny and Mom if you don't let me go right now. And don't think that call won't include what you did last time you were at the Sou." He suddenly felt very angry with his sister, not that she didn't deserve it. Tying him up, pulling all those pranks on everyone, trying to evict his friends from their home.

If Kanako wasn't certain what happened, she was now. Her only thought at that time was: _Busted._


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Ken Akamatsu does. I also don't own Azumanga Daioh, Metal Gear Solid, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or any other animes that might show up here. Please don't sue.

* * *

**_EPILOGUE_**

**_

* * *

_**

_*Ring*_

_ *Ring*_

"Yes?"

"Oh, hello doctor."

"The mission was a success, I got the AMF technology amd the mind control nanomachines. I also destroyed all working examples of the technology as you ordered."

"Yes, it was just as you said, SCARF's interference provided the perfect cover for me to complete my mission."

"Yes Kanako was the perfect decoy, they probably never wondered how she came in contact with the general."

"We could say this was a mission accomplished."

"Thank you Doctor Akagi."

**LOVE RONIN SOLID**

**

* * *

**

_Epilogue written by Char Aznable_**  
**


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